More Than Friends
by myprofoundfantasy
Summary: Scorpius Malfoy is unofficially part of the Potter/Weasley family after befriending Albus Potter his first year. Lily Potter has liked Malfoy since the beginning, and she's determined to make him see that she's more than his best friend's baby sister.
1. Prologue

**This story has been playing out in my head for awhile now because I am completely enamored with the pairing of Lily/Scorpius. And I've finally decided to get it out! I have the following two chapters done and am in the process of writing the third one. So, yay! That means updates should be fairly quick.**

**Fair warning: This story will have some cursing in it. They are teenagers after all, and teenagers looove to swear. This chapter doesn't have anything remotely explicit though.**

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling has the rights to all things Harry Potter. Lucky her.**

* * *

><p>You're More than That<p>

Prologue

A small boy with short blond hair, which was perfectly slicked back, stood nervously in line with the other first-years. Scorpius Malfoy was about to be sorted somewhere which would quite possibly determine his future for the next seven years. Of course, his future was already pre-determined. He was from a long line of Slytherins and Death Eaters. Officially, there weren't supposed to be any Death Eaters. But, there were still former Death Eaters in hiding or people who thought Muggleborns were as filthy as Muggles.

Unfortunately, Scorpius' paternal grand-parents still believed themselves to be Death Eaters. While his parents didn't condone this way of life, there wasn't much they could say or do. His grand-parents allowed them to live in Malfoy Manor after their house burned down when Scorpius was seven. When Scorpius had asked his parents why someone set fire to their house, his father simply said there were some people who would never forgive the Malfoys for what had happened many years ago. Draco and Astoria never moved out of Malfoy Manor because their jobs required them to go on many business trips. This meant Scorpius was often left alone with his grand-parents, and they always took this time to fill Scorpius' head with Death Eater nonsense.

Though Scorpius was young, he knew that his grand-parents were crazy. He wanted to prove to the Wizarding community that not all Malfoys were foul. He wanted to be good.

So, when Headmistress McGonagall called out, "MALFOY, SCORPIUS," the pale boy was a little afraid of where he would be placed. But, not letting on that he was nervous, Scorpius had an aloof expression on his face as he strutted up the steps and sat down on the stool.

_Ah, another Malfoy. You are a descendant of Slytherins. _The Sorting Hat said into Scorpius' mind. _You have your father's wit and arrogance, but your mother's good judgment. You could be a great wizard in…_

"SLYTHERIN!"

Scorpius breathed a sigh of relief as he hopped off the stool. Everyone clapped politely, but no one was surprised. He walked over to the Slytherin table, smirking, and sat down. People near to him clapped him on the back, glad to have a Malfoy among them.

He wanted to be in Slytherin because he knew he'd get a howler if he weren't. Besides, this way he could prove everyone wrong about the Malfoys and still succeed in Slytherin.

As Scorpius watched other first-years get sorted, his ears perked up when Headmistress McGonagall called out, "POTTER, ALBUS!" The name was familiar to him, and not just because the Potters were famous. Then Scorpius remembered his father telling him to be careful with the Potters and the Weasleys, that they would be the first to judge him harshly. But, staring at the nervous boy with black-rimmed glasses and jet-black hair sticking out in every which way, Scorpius had a feeling the boy was quite harmless.

After a long minute, the sorting hat finally shouted, "SLYTHERIN!" A uniform gasp echoed throughout the Great Hall. One young, red-headed boy in Gryffindor stood up and yelled, "What? That can't be!" Scorpius heard whispers at his table: "There must be some mistake" and "I don't want a Potter sleeping near me!" He glanced back at the Potter boy and almost felt bad for him as he froze in place. After Headmistress McGonagall gave him a little push, Albus slowly walked toward the Slytherin table and sat down at the end.

Once the feast ended, the Slytherin prefect, a brawly guy, called for all the first-years to file in a line behind him. "Follow closely behind me. It'll be your own damn fault if you get lost," the prefect haughtily said before walking out the Hall.

Scorpius frowned at how superior the prefect acted. But, he kept quiet against his better wishes. Reaching the Slytherin common room, Scorpius was almost certain he'd get lost walking here on many occasions. He lingered near the fireplace and was surprised to see the Potter boy standing beside him.

While he debated whether he should say something to the brunet to be polite, a skinny first-year with bad teeth rammed into Potter, almost knocking him down. "You're not wanted here," the kid hissed.

"What do you think you're doing?" Scorpius impulsively shot back, shoving the kid.

At first, the kid was outraged someone had pushed him until he saw that it was Scorpius Malfoy. "Malfoy," he said, suddenly kind, "I'm Aiden Flint. You should hang with me."

"Like hell I will!" Scorpius exclaimed, annoyed. He'd rather choose his own friends who weren't dicks. Puffing up his chest, he unexpectedly declared, "Anyone else who wishes to mess with Potter will also have to go through me!" Then he glared at everyone who, in return, gave him weird looks. Inside, however, Scorpius was smiling; being intimidating was pretty fun.

He wasn't exactly sure why he defended Potter. Maybe he felt sorry for the guy or maybe the best way to prove himself was to befriend a Potter.

The raven-haired boy quietly said, "You didn't have to do that. I can stick up for myself."

Scorpius turned and smirked. "Oh, I have no doubt. But, you're welcome." Scorpius extended his hand and said, "I'm Scorpius Malfoy."

"Albus Potter," Albus said, shaking the hand. He glanced around the dimly-lit room which was filled with velvet green décor. He hadn't actually expected to be in Slytherin, and it was overwhelming. "I don't think people are too keen on me being here."

"They'll get over it," Scorpius said, waving a dismissive hand. "Obviously the Sorting Hat knows what it's doing."

"Yeah, I guess," Albus mumbled. "I know James will throw a fit when he sees me."

"Who?" Scorpius asked.

"He's the one who stood up in the Great Hall," Albus said, chuckling softly. _That part was pretty funny_, he thought. "He's my brother."

"Oh," Scorpius said, "I wish I had a sibling."

"I have a sister too, Lily. She's eight. You can have her," Albus said, grinning. "Actually, you can have James too. He's annoying." He added.

Scorpius grinned as well, and was about to say something else until the brawly prefect spoke up again. "Alright, first-years, take your trunks and find a bed. You can get acquainted tomorrow."

Grabbing his trunk and hauling it up the steps, Scorpius glanced at Albus and offered, "You can sleep in the bed next to mine if you'd like."

Albus nodded, letting out a sigh of relief. "Okay," he said, grateful to have a friend in Slytherin.

Once the two boys got settled and crawled into their four-poster beds, the lights shut off. Scorpius rolled over on his side to glance at Albus, who was staring at him. "Dad was wrong about you," he quietly said.

Albus' eyebrows crinkled together as he asked, "What do you mean?"

"He said the Potters and Weasleys wouldn't like me just because I'm a Malfoy," Scorpius explained.

"I don't care you're a Malfoy," Albus sincerely stated, surprised that Scorpius' dad would say that. He had heard about the Malfoys before and they always seemed like bad people, but Scorpius had changed his mind when he stuck up for him. The two Slytherins were silent for awhile until Albus quietly said aloud, "I hope we can be friends for a long time."

Eyes closed, Scorpius had almost fallen asleep. He murmured, "Me too." Scorpius pulled the covers up to his chin and hoped for a good seven years as he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>This chapter was really short...and it will be the shortest chapter I have. I needed the prologue to introduce everything, and Lily will be introduced in Chapter 1.<strong>

**Anyway, tell me what you think! I really hope you all enjoy the story! And reviews would be fantastic! They're the best way to know who's reading my story...and it doesn't hurt for motivation.**


	2. Chapter 1

**For some reason, the line break isn't working. Of course, it never usually does.**

**Anyway, thanks so much for all the story alerts. An even bigger thanks goes out to Ffggh and merdarkandtwisty for reviewing!**

**I'm pleased with this chapter, and I hope you all enjoy it, too!**

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the rights to Harry Potter. Lucky her.**

(

Chapter 1

"I'm not going to tell you again. Get up, breakfast is getting cold!" Ginny scolded as she stood in the doorway of Albus' room. She waited until she could see both Albus and Scorpius' heads pop up before leaving.

Once Ginny had left, Albus groaned and lied back down on his pillow. "Fuck you for keeping me up all night." He jabbed the mattress above him on which Scorpius slept. After spending most of his second Christmas break with the Potters, Scorpius and Albus decided to get bunk beds to put in Albus' room. At first, Albus was on the top bunk because he liked to jump down. But when Ginny caught him in the act of the four-foot drop, she made him switch beds with Scorpius. The two boys, now going into their sixth-year, had obviously outgrown the bunk beds, but they couldn't seem to part with it.

Scorpius leaned over the railing to glance at Albus, his medium-length blond hair hanging over his head. "You're the one who incessantly tried to beat me at wizard chess then failed many, many times," he retorted.

Albus jabbed Scorpius again, which prompted Scorpius to throw his pillow in Albus' face. "Come on, your mum's going to be up again if we don't go downstairs," Scorpius said as he climbed down the ladder.

Groaning again, Albus reluctantly got up and went to his dresser to find a clean change of clothes. Scorpius went to his suitcase to get dressed as well. Harry and Ginny had offered to give him space in Albus' dresser, but Scorpius had declined. He'd already gotten a bed; he hadn't wanted to intrude any further.

Ever since the two boys' first night at Hogwarts, they had been inseparable. Over time, Albus began breaking out of his shell and the other Slytherins slowly accepted him. This had a lot to do with Scorpius punching anyone who tried to mess with Albus; nowadays, the only person he regularly fought with was Aiden Flint and his gang. Flint became Albus and Scorpius' self-sworn enemy. But they didn't mind; it only gave them more of an excuse to play pranks on the bloke.

Scorpius' saintly plan to amend the Malfoy's reputation fell off the wayside around his second year. Over the years, Scorpius came to resent his family. His parents were rarely home because they wanted to avoid Narcissa and Lucius; he couldn't remember the last time he spent a whole week with them. His grandfather was pure hell to live with now that Scorpius was vocal about his distaste for them and their Death Eater ways. He'd received more slaps than he'd care to remember.

Fortunately, Scorpius never saw his family much because he spent most of his summer and winter breaks at Albus' house. At first, Albus' family – counting his extended family that was always seen together – was wary of him. But, they collectively grew to accept him by his third summer at the Potter house. Harry and Ginny were like the parents he'd always wanted – they were loving, kind, and actually present.

Once the boys reached the kitchen, they sat down at the table and politely greeted everyone.

"About time you two came down," James said, grinning. "I almost ate your breakfast."

Albus had a mock look of horror. Breakfast was his favorite part of the day to eat. He showed this by promptly diving into his eggs, eating as though this were his first meal.

Scorpius grinned, shaking his head at his best friend, as he much more slowly began eating his own eggs and pancakes.

"After breakfast, we're going to Diagon Alley to get books and then to your grandparents' house for lunch," Harry explained.

James and Albus made a face. They both hated shopping. "School isn't for another two weeks. Can't we do it next week?" James asked even though he knew the answer.

"No, because it will be really crowded then, and both of you would be whinier than usual," Ginny said.

Scorpius and Lily exchanged looks and snickered. This conversation occurred almost every summer after what had happened a few years ago. Both Potter boys had been hell to deal with while standing in huge lines and weaving in and out of the massive crowds with screaming babies.

"Can we go to Uncle George's shop?" Lily asked, speaking up for the first time that morning.

"I'm sure we can make a stop," Ginny said, looking at Harry, who nodded in agreement.

So, after breakfast and after the dishes were cleaned, the Potter family and Scorpius made their way to the fireplace in the living room, floo powder in hand. After everyone flooed to Diagon Alley, they made their way across the cobblestoned street.

Ginny turned to everyone and said, "Give me your school lists and I'll go get your books."

All four kids reached in their pockets and handed her their list of supplies. Scorpius also handed Ginny a few galleons to pay for his books.

"While you do that, I'll take them to Wizard Wheezes," Harry told his wife. Then Harry and his children and Scorpius walked to George's shop while Ginny went the opposite direction to Flourish and Botts.

As they walked inside the huge, colorful store, the first person to greet them was Ron.

"Harry! I didn't know you lot were coming today," Ron exclaimed, giving his best friend a friendly slap on the back.

"Yeah, Gin's getting their books," Harry said.

Ron nodded. "That's where 'Mione is too." He gave quick hugs to his nephews and niece and gave a friendly nod to Scorpius. For a few years, Ron clearly objected to Scorpius hanging around all the time. Eventually, he came to accept the fact that Scorpius wasn't at all like his father or grand-father, and he grew to be amicable toward the Slytherin. "George is upstairs. I was just about to say hello."

"I'll go with you," Harry said.

After the exchange, Lily went off to find Rose and Hugo, James went off with Fred, and Albus and Scorpius stayed back to look through the items. This store was where they got all of their pranks to play on Flint. Fortunately, George gave them all kinds of discounts, though he still made Ron pay ticket price.

Albus picked up a trick wand and turned to Scorpius. "Wouldn't it be funny to replace Flint's wand with this one? Then when he tries to do a spell, the wand will bop him on the head." Albus wagged his eyebrows and smiled big.

Scorpius laughed aloud at the thought. "But wouldn't he know that wand clearly doesn't look like his own?"

Albus read the box and his smile grew bigger. "No, it says here that whoever holds the trick wand, it will transform into the wand you currently have."

Scorpius was impressed. "Wow, that's advanced," he said, admiring the trick wand as he gave it a look over. George had outdone himself on this one. Then a question appeared in his mind. "But how the hell would we get his wand?"

Albus thought for a moment then suggested, "I've got my invisibility cloak."

"And you'd stick your hand in his pocket?"

"No, dumbass. I'd accio the thing," Albus countered.

Scorpius thought about the possibility of it working. He wasn't sure if taking someone's wand was illegal, but they wouldn't keep it. He'd probably lay the wand under Flint's pillow. Grinning wickedly, Scorpius said, "Let's buy it then!"

Albus gave a small maniacal laugh as he rubbed his hands together. "Excellent," he growled.

"Eugh, why are you so creepy, Potter?" A female voice suddenly questioned.

Albus and Scorpius turned and saw Ellie Davis, a sixth-year Slytherin, grinning at them.

"Hey, Ellie!" Both boys greeted her.

Ellie gave Scorpius a peck on the cheek and a friendly nod to Albus. Smirking, Albus glanced at the other two and said, "I think I'll go pay for this now. Later!" Then he left Ellie and Scorpius alone.

Ellie Davis had been, to put it bluntly, Scorpius' fuck buddy since last year. The tall, curvy blonde was very attractive, but the attraction between the two of them remained purely superficial. Ellie was known as the whore of Hogwarts. Though that title may have been off-putting to some, Scorpius didn't mind. His argument was that she was a damn good kisser. Besides, he'd slept with many girls at Hogwarts. Scorpius had gotten the reputation as the bad boy early on – mainly because he loved fights, came across as unemotional to most of Hogwarts, and went through girls like going through quills.

Leaning in to Scorpius, Ellie murmured in his ear, "I know a perfect spot for some alone time."

Scorpius grinned slightly, but after some consideration he shook his head no. "It's tempting, but I can't. We'll be leaving soon."

Ellie scowled and placed a hand on her hip. Examining her nails, she sarcastically remarked, "It's cute how you follow the Potters and Weasleys around like a lost puppy."

Tightening his jaw, Scorpius stared at Ellie for a few seconds too long. _Who are you to make fun of me for who I hang out with? Just for that, you're not getting any sex for awhile. _Finally, he straightened up and coldly said, "See you at school, Davis." Then he whipped around and walked toward the counter where Albus stood.

Not long after Albus paid and explained his idea to George, who wholeheartedly supported the idea, the Potters and Weasleys left the store to head to the stationary store where they were meeting Ginny and Hermione.

Rose lectured Albus and Scorpius about getting a head start on classes while the two boys tried to tune her out when Scorpius spotted his grandfather. Lucius locked eyes with Scorpius and made his way over. Scorpius cursed under his breath.

Once Lucius approached them, he glared disdainfully at his grandson. "Narcissa had planned on taking you shopping," he said.

Scorpius clenched and unclenched his jaw before saying, "It was easier just doing it now."

Lucius glanced at the clan in front of him, noticing Ron's burning stare and everyone else looking rather uncomfortable. "Still hanging out with this lot? What a disgrace," Lucius snidely told Scorpius. "No matter how hard I've tried, you still remain more of a disappointment than your mediocre father ever was."

Scorpius hardened his expression. His patience was wearing thin and he didn't exactly like to be berated in front of his friends. "Is there something you need, Grandfather?"

A wicked gleam in his eye, Lucius sneered, "It's time I teach you a lesson. I'll be waiting for you when you get home." Then he haughtily walked past.

Albus threw his arm around Scorpius' shoulder and asked his best friend, "What a prick. You alright?"

Scorpius sharply exhaled to keep calm. He glanced at Albus and nodded. "Let's go."

"Alright, your mothers will think we've forgotten about them," Harry quickly segued as everyone began to walk.

After what seemed like a long day but was only a couple of hours, everyone travelled to Molly and Arthur's house for lunch.

Molly took her time hugging everyone who walked through the door as if she hadn't seen them in years, though it had been just a few weeks.

Then, everyone gathered inside the small living room. Immediately, Lily spotted Teddy standing with his wife, Victoire, and ran to him, hugging the man while screaming, "Teddy!"

Teddy, whose hair was a brilliant blue and his eyes an amber color, chuckled and hugged Lily back. "Hey, Lils." Once Albus, James, and Scorpius approached him, Teddy gave a man-hug to the three boys.

Scorpius had quickly grown a liking to Teddy from the first day they'd met. Teddy was the only cousin he knew about. He was also the only actual family Scorpius had that gave a damn about him – that was how Scorpius viewed it, anyway.

"Keeping out of trouble?" Teddy asked them.

The three boys exchanged glances and gave smug smiles. "Of course not!" James exclaimed, chuckling.

"Alright, everyone, time for lunch!" Molly announced.

So, everyone walked outside to where a huge table stood to fit the whole family. After finding their seats, Molly came outside with bowls and plates of food, taking her time to serve everyone before sitting down and getting herself a plate. Scorpius admired the fact that Molly served everyone else first. Actually, he admired this whole family – their absurdity and all.

After lunch, the adults stayed at the table outside to chat while everyone else scattered outside and inside. In the living room, James antagonized Albus while Scorpius watched the two boys with amusement. James had transfigured Albus' black-rimmed glasses into a shoe and hovered it with his wand out of Albus' reach.

"Come on, give it back! Don't be an ass," Albus exclaimed, jumping up and down, trying to catch the shoe, which wasn't easy because he could barely see more than three feet in front of him.

This only prompted James to hover the shoe higher in the air. "Bet it sucks you can't use magic," James remarked with a smirk, who was already seventeen.

Scowling, Albus punched James in the arm then tried to grab the wand out of James' hand.

James quickly put his wand in his other hand before Albus could take it while trying to hold Albus' arms down. He said in a baby voice, "Hitting the Head Boy is forbidden, Albus. Does someone need a time-out?"

Albus tackled James to the ground and the two began wrestling for James' wand.

"Hogwarts is going to be chaotic this year with you as Head Boy," Scorpius joked.

Ignoring Scorpius, James put Albus in a headlock. Albus glanced at Scorpius and said, "Mate, help!"

Scorpius laughed and shook his head. "No, this is too funny." He took note of the shoe lying on the ground from when James had lost his concentration, but he decided against his better judgments not to tell Albus.

Ginny, who had come inside to use the restroom, heard commotion in the living room. Walking in the room, she spotted her two sons wrestling. "Boys, knock it off!" She scolded them.

"Yeah, Albus, knock it off!" James said as he got up, grinning.

Once Ginny left, Albus shoved James which caused the Potter boys to start wrestling again. Not wanting to witness a murder scene, Scorpius left them and walked into the kitchen. There, he saw Lily holding a tray full of chocolate chip cookies.

"Those for me?" Scorpius asked as he leaned against the wall, a small grin upon his face.

Lily turned around and involuntarily reddened when she saw Scorpius. "Er, Mum wanted me to take this outside. But you can have one."

"That's okay, I'm still stuffed from lunch," he said, walking toward Lily.

Lily opened her mouth to say something, but she was interrupted by James and Albus racing through the kitchen, knocking the tray out of her hands. Holding the shoe in his hand, Albus yelled, "Change it back, you twat!"

"James! Albus!" Lily cried out in frustration. She knelt down to pick up the cookies off the floor.

"Let me help you," Scorpius said, kneeling down beside her. "Those two are ridiculous," he said with a grin.

Lily giggled and nodded. "It's a wonder why you insist on hanging out with them."

Scorpius' grin grew wider as he glanced at Lily. "Entertainment purposes?" He rhetorically asked, laughing aloud.

Lily burst into laughter as well, her heart-shaped face lighting up. "If you call that entertaining, sure."

"Guess I have low standards," Scorpius joked. As he put a few broken cookies on one side of the tray, he got a whiff of an enticing smell. He turned and realized the smell belonged to Lily's hair. "Lavender," he breathed, after placing the scent.

"What?" Lily asked, turning her head around to look at Scorpius. She became acutely aware of how close their faces were and tried to keep her breathing under control.

Realizing he had said that aloud, Scorpius tried to clarify. "Uh, your hair smells like lavender. It's nice. I like it." He winced at how creepy he'd just sounded, but he quickly morphed his face into an indifferent look so Lily wouldn't notice his embarrassment.

Lily blushed as she tenderly touched her long, dark red hair. "Oh," she softly said, standing up as well, setting the tray full of dirty cookies on the counter. "Thank you."

Scorpius stood up as well and quickly nodded. He stared at Lily, taking in her features for the first time in awhile. She had definitely grown up well. She was still small and petite, but he noticed for the first time how developed she'd become. It was weird because he, for some reason, expected her to stay a child forever, instead of growing into the teenager that stood in front of him. Realizing that he was still staring, Scorpius quickly looked away from her chest and focused on her brown doe eyes. "I can't believe you're going to be a fourth-year," he remarked, "I feel so old."

Lily narrowed her eyes and put her hands on her hips. "You're not _that _much older than me!"

Scorpius grinned and put his arm around her shoulders. "Don't get all offensive. I didn't mean anything by it."

Lily stiffened slightly at his touch, her ears burning pink. She hated blushing because it was so embarrassing, and that made her blush even harder. "Erm, I should see what Hugo is doing," she quickly said, moving away from Scorpius.

"Alright, guess I should make sure Al and James haven't killed one another yet," Scorpius said, shaking his head at the thought.

Lily nodded. "Good idea." As Scorpius headed into the hallway, Lily mentally kicked herself for acting like such a little girl around him.

(

**I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! This was basically more introductions, which is necessary considering the big time jump.**

**Please review and tell me what you think; I would very much appreciate it :)**

**The next chapter will be the first night back to Hogwarts!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Thanks so much to all the reviews (merdarkandtwisty, emilyswain, and minnie) and the story alerts! It's nice to know people are reading this story.**

**It will probably take me a week to get the next chapter out because I have finals to study for. But school ends in two weeks, so I will have much more free time. Wanted to give you all a heads up, though.**

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the rights to Harry Potter. Lucky her.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 2<p>

Lily boarded the train after saying what felt like a million goodbyes to her family, and found an empty compartment. Behind her, Rose, Roxanne, and Michaela Jordan followed closely behind and found their seats. Michaela sat next to Lily. Those two had become fast friends their first year. She was the daughter of Lee Jordan, who had been best friends with the Weasley twins in school.

After the girls settled in and chatted about summer break for a while, Rose smugly turned toward Lily and remarked, "So Lils, I saw you and Scorpius getting quite chatty a couple of weeks ago."

Lily narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Is that out of the ordinary?" Still, her cheeks flushed pink at the memory. She had been so stupid around him, running off like a pansy.

"You still fancy him!" Michaela animatedly declared while taking note of Lily's blushing.

"No!" Lily automatically protested. Letting out a sigh, she leaned her head against the upholstery and calmly said, "I don't know. Yes." Lily didn't know the exact moment she started liking Scorpius. She'd always felt shy around him, yet she never saw him as her brother's best friend. She'd always seen him as Scorpius. But now she saw him as a very attractive Scorpius that made her heart flutter every time he was around her. "He's really nice."

At Lily's next comment, Rose chortled. "This is Scorpius we're talking about, right?" Rose asked incredulously.

Lily looked at her cousin questioningly.

Rose continued, "Look Lily, I love Scorpius like a brother, but he's not exactly dating material. And 'nice' isn't a word most people use to describe him."

Lily bit her lip. "Why not?"

Rose and Roxanne exchanged looks and chuckled. "Have you not heard the rumors?" Roxanne asked, a sympathetic smile upon her face.

Feeling uncomfortable, Lily quickly said, "Can we not talk about this anymore? Besides, he probably won't ever like me, so it doesn't even matter." She wasn't going to talk about Scorpius if they were just going to burst her bubble and make her feel silly. Yes, she had heard the rumors about his promiscuous ways, to put it nicely. But, she refused to believe he was the "bad boy of Hogwarts;" she had never gotten that impression from him.

"Anyway, you should set your sights on someone more realistic," Rose said. "What about Eli Carmichael? I hear he fancies you."

Lily frowned, unsure of how to take this recent news. Eli Carmichael was a Ravenclaw in her year, and they'd spoken maybe once. In her opinion, that was hardly enough reason to fancy someone. "I don't know him well," she truthfully said.

"I could talk to him for you," Rose offered, grinning. She was a Ravenclaw as well, and more than willing to do some digging for Lily.

"Maybe," Lily said, if only to placate her cousin. She hoped it'd be enough for Rose to change the subject to a less embarrassing topic.

Fortunately, the conversation soon switched to upcoming classes. Lily turned her head to look out the window and closed her eyes, thinking of the first time she had met Scorpius. It was the summer Albus had returned from his first year at Hogwarts, and he had a friend stay over for a couple of weeks.

_Ten-year-old Lily had just returned home with Ginny Potter from shopping. She loved shopping with her mother; it provided a nice girl's day out for the two female Potters, and it was also nice to get away from her brothers for a while._

_When Lily entered through the door, she spotted her Dad and instantly went to hug him. "Daddy, may I get a cat? Mummy says I'm too young, but I can take care of one!" Lily pleaded, a classic puppy-dog look upon her face. _

_Chuckling, Harry exchanged glances with his wife. Ginny sighed and smiled, but shook her head. Facing his daughter, he gently said, "Maybe when you go off to Hogwarts. Wouldn't that be a nice going away present?"_

_Lily pouted, her bottom lip sticking out. "But I'm responsible! I would feed it and everything!"_

_Harry lovingly ruffled Lily's hair. "We'll think about it," he said. Then he brightly announced, "Albus' friend, Scorpius, arrived earlier today. They're playing Quidditch out back."_

_Unrelenting about getting a cat, Lily declared, "I will show everyone how responsible I am by making lemonade for them!"_

_Laughing, Ginny asked, "Would you like help?"_

_Lily fervently shook her head. "No, I'm a big girl. I can do it by myself!" She exclaimed as she headed toward the kitchen. Ginny followed after her to make sure she didn't make a mess. As the girls made their way toward the kitchen, they spotted James and Teddy playing exploding snap in the living room. _

_"Boys, we're making lemonade. Would you like some?" Ginny asked them._

_Not glancing up from his cards, James said, "Yes, Mum."_

_Teddy nodded, concentrating on his cards so adamantly to voice a response. _

_Ten minutes later, Lily dropped a spoonful of sugar in the pitcher and began stirring. She did everything herself except for squeezing the lemons. After much prodding, Ginny had finally taken over squeezing the lemons – a task too daunting for a nine-year-old. _

_After her mother left, seeing that Lily was doing fine, Lily reached in the cupboard for cups. At that moment, a small blond entered the kitchen. Startled by footsteps, Lily whipped around and was surprised to see a boy she had never met before. She figured he must be Albus' friend. "Hello," she timidly said. "I'm Lily."_

_"I'm Scorpius," the blond boy greeted back. He stared at the liquid in a big pitcher and curiously asked, "What's that?"_

_"Lemonade! I made it all by myself! Sorta," Lily said, beaming as she admired her handiwork. She was definitely ready to get a cat._

_Scorpius walked over to her and lingered by the kitchen counter. "You must be Albus' sister then."_

_Lily nodded as she poured herself and Scorpius a glass._

_Mumbling a thank you, Scorpius shyly took the glass from Lily. He took a sip and smiled. "This is really good."_

_"Thank you!" Lily said, her eyes shining brightly. After taking a sip from her own glass, she blurted, "James said you were a horrible person. But you seem nice to me."_

_Scorpius grinned in spite of himself. "He doesn't like me much." Giving a once-over at the small red-head in front of him, he added, "And you don't seem like an annoying pest to me."_

_Lily looked affronted at his statement, and Scorpius quickly regretted saying those words. "Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you!" Scorpius rushed, not wanting to offend any more Potters today – James' glares alone were bothersome enough._

_"They can't come up with something more clever than annoying pest? Honestly, those two are so dumb," Lily said, a pronounced smirk upon her face._

_Scorpius breathed a sigh of relief and smiled big. He was beginning to like Lily Potter; she definitely had audacity. Taking another sip of the lemonade, Scorpius said, "You should play with me and Albus. We're going to swim in the lake."_

_Lily's face instantly brightened and she grinned from ear to ear. Albus and James usually left her out when they played together, saying that she was too young to play with them. That, and she was a girl. But Scorpius had invited her along, and Lily couldn't say no. "Okay! Let me put on my bathing suit!" She excitedly said._

_Scorpius nodded. "I'll wait here for you," he said, finishing the contents in his glass._

_Still smiling, Lily quickly ran upstairs to change clothes, glad to have made a new friend._

(

Later in the early evening, after the Hogwarts Express had arrived at Hogwarts, everyone sat in the Great Hall where sorting currently took place.

Scorpius and Albus paid no mind to the first-years being sorted and softly talked amongst themselves.

"So how was the rest of your break?" Albus asked. He'd sat in a compartment with his Quidditch buddies, and the sport dominated the conversation throughout the train ride so he hadn't had a chance to ask Scorpius this question. Albus looked Scorpius up and down and joked, "I don't see any bruises or scratches on you."

"That's because I'm excellent at Healing spells," Scorpius joked, his facial expression reserved. However, his gray eyes held a forlorn look, which Albus didn't disregard.

Scorpius never talked about his family much. He was a very private person. Even Albus, who was his best friend, couldn't completely break down his walls. At first, it used to incessantly bother Albus because he figured best friends should share everything with each other. But over time, Albus became used to the fact that Scorpius was open about some things and a locked safe about others.

While he joked about Scorpius' situation, trying to make light of it as the other Slytherin did whenever he mentioned his family, Albus still felt uneasy. But, it helped that Scorpius spent the majority of his breaks at the Potter household. The two boys were incredibly protective of each other, and Albus never wanted to see Scorpius hurting. And perhaps that was why Scorpius was excellent at hiding his emotions – so that Albus didn't worry.

Casually changing the subject, Scorpius said, "We should switch Flint's wand tonight when he takes a shower." From spending five years in the same dormitory with Flint, the boys knew the Slytherin always took his showers immediately after dinner.

"You don't waste any time," Albus remarked, grinning.

Scorpius shook his head. "We'll catch him off-guard if we pull a prank this early," he reasoned.

Albus' grin grew more heinous. "I like the way you think," he mused, eager to begin. But for now, the feast began as food magically appeared in front of them, which meant Albus could only focus on one thing – eating.

Scorpius grinned as he watched Albus' eyes widen in delight, quickly piling food upon his plate. "Leave some for the rest of us," he remarked while smirking, noting the mountain of food on Albus' plate.

Albus playfully shoved him as he took a bite out of his chicken. "Bugger off. I'm starved!"

"Yes, I can see that," Scorpius observed, grinning at his best friend as he began to help himself to some banana pudding and a Salisbury steak.

(

That night, once everyone settled into the Slytherin common room, Albus and Scorpius prepared to set their plan in motion. Albus was on the lookout for Flint and other guys who might pass through the dormitory while Scorpius' job was to replace Flint's wand with the trick wand.

The two of them unpacked their trunks as they waited for Flint to enter the bathroom with his toiletries. It seemed like forever, though it was only twenty minutes, until the guy finally entered the bathroom.

Albus instantly sidled up to the wall next to the bathroom door as nonchalantly as possible. The problem with doing this prank the night they returned was that there were many guys unpacking. Thus, Scorpius had to resort to wearing the invisibility cloak that James had reluctantly passed on to Albus over the summer.

When Albus gave him the signal, which was running his fingers through his wild jet-black hair, Scorpius slowly crept over to where Flint's bed laid, the trick wand close to his body. He had to make sure no one saw a floating hand because that would undoubtedly freak out any normal person.

Albus had a solution for this problem, though. In his pocket, he carried Peruvian darkness powder. Once Scorpius signaled he was ready for the switch, which was an obscene cough, Albus threw the purplish rock on the ground and the dormitory immediately filled with dark smoke.

Scorpius effectively took Flint's wand out of his robe pocket and put the trick wand in its place. He had decided against putting the wand under Flint's pillow in case the gangly Slytherin felt it lying there. So, he opted to place the real wand under the bed. _The git can't possibly find it there,_ he silently thought to himself, _Plus, it'd be more believable that he would have accidentally dropped it down there._

Before the smoke dissipated, Scorpius rushed back to his bed and yanked the cloak off, then shoved the cloak in Albus' trunk. Once the smoke completely disappeared, Scorpius gave a thumbs up to Albus.

He knew he and Albus could possibly get into a lot of trouble for taking Flint's wand, but the risks would be worth it if Flint were to freak out. _Besides, he deserves this and a hell of a lot more,_ Scorpius angrily thought. Flint and his gang had made it their mission in the first year to make his and Albus' life hell. Little had they known that Scorpius had quite the temper, especially when it came to protecting Albus. Scorpius remembered the first time Flint tried to get physical. It was the October of their first year in the common room.

_Scorpius had just gotten back from the library and was beyond exhausted. He hadn't realized how much _work_ it took to get top marks. He wanted to impress his parents by being the best student. Unfortunately, Rose was better than him at almost every subject, much to his annoyance. He needed to beat Rose to make his parents and his grand-parents proud; thus, he had spent almost two hours studying Charms and History of Magic – his worst subjects – in the library._

_As Scorpius entered the common room, a snide voice stopped him in his tracks, making him forget about needing to be better than Rose. As he peered around a pillar, he saw Flint and Daniel Travers antagonizing Albus. Glaring daggers at the two Slytherins, it took all he had to wait for the perfect moment to strike._

_Meanwhile, Flint got in Albus' face, taunting him. "The Chosen One's son isn't so tough, is he, Daniel? Fight me properly, you arse!"_

_Trying to ignore them, Albus stood up and prepared to leave, but Travers blocked his path. "Don't think you're getting out of here without a scratch. Your boyfriend isn't here to save you this time," Travers sneered._

_Scorpius watched as Albus bit his lip, obviously unsure of what to do. Scorpius knew Albus didn't like to fight and he was painfully shy. But so far, he was handling himself quite well, so Scorpius waited._

_But, he didn't have to wait long because suddenly Flint shoved Albus so hard that Albus fell backwards and landed on the stone floor._

_"I thought you're supposed to be Harry Potter's son! Fight me!" Flint yelled. "Oh, right, I forgot. You're the black sheep of the family. No one wants you!" Then he kicked Albus in the side, which enraged Scorpius._

_Scorpius immediately ran over to Flint, dropping his books in the process, his fists flying at the Slytherin. "Don't you dare harm him! I'll make sure you never see the light of day again, Flint!" He hit Flint in the face, causing the boy to stumble backwards._

_Before Travers could come at him, Scorpius kicked Travers in the shin._

_At that moment, the fight having caused much attention from the other Slytherins in the room, the Slytherin prefect and another seventh-year boy immediately ran over and held Scorpius back._

_"Woah, what's going on here?" The prefect demanded, casting a harsh look toward Scorpius._

_Flint tried to fling himself at Scorpius, but the seventh-year held him back. Meanwhile, Travers was on the floor, whining from the pain. _

_By now, Albus had gotten back on his feet and placed his arm on Scorpius' shoulder. "Thanks mate," he mumbled, rubbing his shoulder, where Flint had kicked him._

_"Are you going to give them detention?" Scorpius implored the prefect. "They're responsible!"_

_The prefect and the seventh-year both released Scorpius and Flint. The prefect said, "Don't let this happen again or we'll take it up with Professor Petrelli, the Head of House."_

_Flint and Scorpius both muttered insincere promises, and then the older boys left. Scorpius gathered his books and quickly retreated to the dormitory with Albus. "What would you do without me?" He asked Albus, grinning, as he sat on his bed._

"Earth to Scorpius!" Albus shook Scorpius, which seemed to snap the blond boy out of his reminiscing.

Scorpius smiled at the memory. Albus really had become more assertive with age; he figured it had a lot to do with Quidditch. Once Albus began playing in his second year, he soon grew more confident. But, that didn't mean Scorpius became any less protective of his friend.

"What?" Scorpius snapped, his eyes finally focusing on his friend.

"Thought you dazed off for a bit," Albus said, an amused look upon his face as he turned to grab his pajamas from his half-empty trunk.

Scorpius shrugged, laying down on his pillow and turning to face Albus. "Just glad to be back."

Albus turned to his pale friend and grinned. "I know, mate. This year's going to be wicked!"

Laughing, Scorpius remarked, "You're only saying that because you're the new Captain."

"And I'll be damned if we don't win the Quidditch Cup!" Albus exclaimed, high-fiving Scorpius. "With me as Seeker and you as Beater, we'll be unstoppable!"

Scorpius grinned to himself and shook his head at Albus. "It'll be the best year yet, mate!"

"Fuck yeah!" Albus repeatedly pumped his fist in the air, causing Scorpius to laugh uncontrollably. Once the two had finally calmed down, mainly because they'd received many shushes from others, Albus and Scorpius went to get ready for bed, eager to start their sixth-year of school.

* * *

><p><strong>Flashbacks are always fun! I may insert them here and there throughout the story just because of the significant time jump. <strong>

**In other news, I recently received a complaint about the rating. Someone said it should be changed to M because of profanity and possible sex scenes in the future. I don't feel comfortable yet as a writer to write sex scenes, so you won't have to worry about that. And if it does happen (say with Ellie Davis and Scorpius), it will not be even remotely explicit. As for the profanity, teens at this age cuss a lot. It's only natural, and therefore I don't think that warrants a mature rating. But, tell me what you all think about it.**

**And tell me what you liked about the chapter! I love to hear your thoughts on the story so far!**


	4. Chapter 3

**I told you it would take awhile for this update. So sorry about that! But, finals are finally over and it is officially summer! This also means that my updates will be more frequent. I will try to update once a week; sound fair?**

**Thanks to Bucky5, emilyswain, bia_13, and HorribleHolly for reviewing! Other thanks goes to those who put this story on alert or favorites!**

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns all rights to Harry Potter. Lucky her.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 3<p>

It wasn't until Defence Against the Dark Arts at 3 p.m. the following day when Flint used his wand. Professor Dobson had been explaining the Patronus Charm when Flint loudly boasted that he already knew how to perform it. Amused, Dobson called him to the front of the class and commanded that he demonstrate to the class.

Albus and Scorpius, who sat next to each other near the back, snickered. They already knew what was coming.

"I'd expect least of all him to know this spell," Albus whispered to Scorpius. He knew how to do it because his dad taught him the summer of his fourth year. Harry had said he wanted his children to be prepared, just in case. With this said, Albus wasn't conceited enough to show-off to the whole class. He expectantly waited for Flint to humiliate himself.

Flint apparently hadn't expected to show everyone his Patronus because he nervously looked from Dobson to the rest of the class. Nonetheless, he cleared his throat and raised his wand. "_Expecto Patronum_!" He exclaimed.

As soon as the words left his mouth, the wand slipped through Flint's fingers and hovered just above his head. The wand repeatedly hit Flint on the head then emitted red sparks and exploded.

While the class roared in laughter – Scorpius and Albus' laughter being the loudest – Flint stood there, stunned.

"Th-th-that's not my w-wand," Flint stuttered, wondering what the hell had just happened.

Clearing his throat to keep from laughing, Dobson said, "Clearly."

Flint whipped around to Dobson and implored, "Where the fuck's my wand?"

"Cursing is not necessary, Aiden," Dobson scolded. He went to his desk and scribbled on a note then gave the note to Flint. "Take this to Professor Petrelli and he will help you look for your real wand."

Flint snatched the note from Dobson's hands and turned back around, examining the class with scrutinizing eyes. He noticed Albus and Scorpius laughing, and Flint glared at them. "You took my wand!" He accused the two boys.

Scorpius feigned a look of shock. "Who, us?" He innocently questioned. "We're obviously not advanced to hex your wand and make it explode."

"And anyway, what we would want with your wand?" Albus asked, the same look of innocence upon his face.

Still fuming, Flint gave the two boys one last glare then stalked out of the classroom.

After that, it was difficult to get the class back on track so Dobson dismissed everyone early.

(

Once classes were finished, Scorpius met Ellie in the back of the library. She had slipped him a note in Herbology a couple of hours earlier, telling him to meet her here. As he approached her in the deserted aisle which held numerous books about Arithmancy, Scorpius grinned to himself, taking in her features. Ellie's tie had been undone and the first three buttons of her white blouse was open, which gave him a generous peek of her bust. Her skirt was also hiked up three inches.

"Really? The library? How classy," Scorpius sarcastically drawled as he came closer to her.

Ellie folded her arms across her chest as she leaned against the bookshelf. "No one will catch us here. We're in the Arithmancy aisle."

"Fine," Scorpius simply said, not wanting to small talk anymore. He'd been so sexually frustrated lately; he needed a release now. So, his lips closed the distance between hers, and he wrapped his arms around her waist.

Ellie entangled her fingers through Scorpius' shaggy white-blond hair as she kissed back more forcefully with each turn of the head.

Scorpius parted his mouth to allow Ellie's tongue to enter the crevice, which she happily did. As his hands moved up the inside of Ellie's shirt, Scorpius' mind shut off. The reason why he liked messing around with her so much was because he didn't have to think. He didn't have sex to feel emotion and passion; he did it out of necessity. Though Scorpius would never consciously admit it to himself, he craved sex because he wanted to feel loved.

Soon, Scorpius and Ellie became more intimate and his pants went down to his knees. The sex in itself went by in a blur. He remembered feeling really good, but they had to keep their whimpers and harsh breathing to a silent minimum because they were in a library. After nearly thirty minutes passed, Scorpius and Ellie were finished.

The two Slytherins straightened their clothes and cleaned themselves off in silence. It was wordlessly decided that Ellie would leave first. "Well, that was fun," Ellie said after giving

Scorpius a quick peck on the cheek. Then she left the aisle. Scorpius waited a few minutes, and spent that time fixing his tie and tucking in his shirt, before leaving as well. The temporary fix of pleasure was wearing off, much to Scorpius' dismay.

Once he figured sufficient time had passed, he left the aisle and headed to the main area of the library. As he was about to leave, he heard a voice call out his name. Scorpius turned and saw Lily sitting in an oversize armchair with a book in her lap.

He went over to her and sat down in the armchair opposite hers. "Hey," he greeted Lily. "What are you reading?"

"I want to get a head start on my Muggle Studies class," Lily answered as she held up the book, which read, "Understanding Muggle Communication."

"Oh, I took that last year. Eberly is a good professor," Scorpius said.

Lily grinned as she sarcastically exclaimed, "I bet your family was thrilled!"

"Anything to piss them off," Scorpius commented as he crookedly smiled. His original intention for taking the class was, indeed, to piss his grandfather off; that, and Albus was taking the class, too. But, he found to really like Muggle Studies. Personally, he thought the class should be required.

"So what brings you to the library?" Lily asked after a short pause.

"I was going to check out a book," Scorpius lied. Of course he wasn't going to tell Lily what he had actually done.

Lily nodded, then took in his disheveled hair and wondered if he'd gotten in a fight with the wind. "You look like you just came from Quidditch practice."

Scorpius tilted his head to the side in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Setting her book on the end table, Lily got up from her chair and smoothed down the wild strands of hair that stuck up every which way. "You look like Albus on a good day," she joked. Sitting back down, Lily bit her lip, her heart beating fast.

Scorpius' hand flew to his head, and he wondered how crazy he looked. Ellie liked to pull his hair, which wasn't exactly something he liked. But, he was too apathetic to tell her. "I'm trying out a new hairdo. Is it not working for you?"

Lily giggled and shook her head. "Your experiment definitely failed!"

Scorpius put a hand over his chest and pretended to be upset. "You're so cruel!"

"No, I'm honest," Lily teased, a huge grin upon her face.

"Well, I can't win everyone over. But, I don't know what I'll do now that you hate my hairstyle!" Scorpius joked, pouting. "Of all the times I've been nice to you, this is how you repay me!"

"Okay, okay!" Lily exclaimed, laughing. "Fine, your new hairstyle looks beautiful! Happy?"

Laughing as well, Scorpius smirked and said, "A little."

Lily shook her head, her grin still in place. "You are so difficult!"

Scorpius shrugged and smiled. He liked hanging out with Lily because she was always so cheerful and radiant.

"How did your first day go?" Scorpius asked once their laughter died down. They had also received many shushes, which incidentally caused them to laugh even harder. By the end of it, Scorpius' sides hurt from so much laughing.

"It's been pretty good so far. Don't judge me, but I'm actually glad I'm taking Divination again," Lily responded.

"Oh, I'm definitely judging! That class is a joke," Scorpius exclaimed. Suffering through one year of that class had been more than enough for him.

"Trelawny is a bit mad, but we had a nice discussion in class about free will," Lily said.

"You talked about that in Divination?" Scorpius incredulously asked. He had only been taught to look through a stupid glass sphere, not about intellectual discussions.

Lily nodded. "Someone wanted to know if the future was pre-determined or if free will could change it."

"Free will is bullshit," Scorpius muttered.

Lily's eyebrows furrowed as she softly asked, "What do you mean?"

"For example, everyone who hated Death Eaters will always hate the Malfoys because of our past," Scorpius bitterly explained.

Frowning, Lily said, "That's awfully pessimistic. I think people's opinions can be changed if you prove them wrong."

Scorpius shook his head. "I used to want to prove everyone wrong about us, but it would be a waste of time. I will always be seen as a bad guy."

"Scorpius, I think you're a very good person," Lily shyly told him. Her brown eyes were filled with sincerity.

Scorpius stared at Lily for a few moments with astonishment and admiration. He was an asshole; he knew that. So how could Lily think he was good? The thought almost made Scorpius want to hug her tightly and be what she thought him to be. But Scorpius remained in his seat, at a loss for words. He wasn't exactly sure how to respond. He didn't want to say he was an asshole because he wanted Lily to believe he wasn't. In fact, he was really pleased Lily thought he was a nice guy. Opening his mouth, Scorpius awkwardly said, "Oh, well, thanks." He didn't know what else to say so he closed his mouth.

Lily nodded, her cheeks flushing a little bit. She glanced down at her lap and fiddled with the sleeves of her robe.

Grinning, Scorpius took note of Lily's flushed cheeks. He thought the blushing was rather cute. Scorpius frowned at that thought. This was Lily Potter; she was almost like his sister. He couldn't think of her as cute.

Clearing his throat, Scorpius said, "We should probably head to dinner."

Lily glanced up from her lap and focused her attention on Scorpius' gray eyes. "Yeah, it's getting late," she agreed.

The two students stood up and headed out of the library together for the Great Hall. Lily and Scorpius quickly changed the subject to avoid a potentially awkward situation that could have developed in the library. Once they reached the Great Hall, they went in opposite directions to their respective tables.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you enjoyed it! This chapter wasn't very long, but there wasn't much else I could add to it. Anyway, I'm happy with the chapter. Haha. And hopefully you are too! So, send me a review and tell me what you liked, disliked, any memorable quotes, etc. <strong>


	5. Chapter 4

**And we're back with another chapter! Yay! I quite enjoyed writing this...especially the middle part, and you'll see why! **

**Thanks to emilyswain, bia 13, Bucky5, and Jessica682 for reviewing! Keep the reviews coming! They motivate me to write faster, which means faster updates. :)**

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns all rights to Harry Potter. Lucky her!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 4<p>

That evening, Scorpius and Albus sat on one of the couches in the Slytherin commons after dinner. Albus was drawing something, deep in concentration, while Scorpius read aimlessly through his Potions book. They'd been minding their own business, not paying attention to anyone until someone burst through the door and a loud, familiar voice was heard.

Scorpius and Albus looked up from what they were doing and glanced over their shoulders. They met eyes with Flint and his posse. Turning back around, both boys snickered.

To be honest, they had expected Flint to confront them a lot earlier. They'd heard through the rumor mill that Professor Petrelli found Flint's wand under his bed shortly after beginning the search. Needless to say, Petrelli was not amused to have had his time wasted, and he scolded Flint for being careless.

Flint briskly walked toward the couches and stood directly in front of Scorpius and Albus. "You stole my wand," he accused, a death glare present in his eyes.

Scorpius looked up from his book, a bored expression upon his face. "Still on about this?"

Albus looked up as well, his eyebrows raised in a haughty-like fashion, and asked, "How could we have stolen your wand if it was under your bed?"

Flint got in both boys' faces and snarled. "Don't fuck with me or I'll kick your asses."

Scorpius abruptly stood up and shoved Flint, clearly enjoying yet another opportunity to mess with the other Slytherin. "You can't do shit. You're too weak," he taunted.

This angered Flint even more, and he roughly shoved Scorpius back, shouting obscenities.

Albus sighed as he got up from the couch. He knew if he didn't intervene soon, a fight would break out. He pulled on Scorpius' arm to keep the Slytherin from punching Flint. "C'mon mate, he's not worth detention."

"Oh, look. It's Mrs. fucking Malfoy to save the day," Flint jeered.

Scorpius lunged, but was held back by Albus. "Bugger off," Albus told Flint.

"Whatever. You'll both be sorry when I get you expelled," Flint gruffly said before stalking off with his friends.

"You have no proof!" Scorpius called out to get the last word before sitting back down on the couch with Albus.

"You're a maniac!" Albus exclaimed, laughing.

"He annoys the hell out of me!" Scorpius said as he leaned back and shut his eyes. "The guy's a right prick."

"Yeah, but we got him good with our prank," Albus remarked before returning to his notebook.

Scorpius set aside his Potions book and absently watched Albus draw for a bit before he asked, "What are you doing?"

"Making Quidditch plays," Albus murmured in concentration, not bothering to look up from the paper.

Scorpius shook his head and grinned. Albus was obsessed with Quidditch. The guy had been making plays before he'd even been on the team his second-year. Scorpius wouldn't be surprised if Albus were accepted to a pro team after school. "Try-outs haven't even started yet," he said.

"Doesn't mean it's too early to start," Albus defended. Glancing at Scorpius, he added, "Besides, we need a new Keeper and two Chasers. I need to know what to look for and what we'll need to work on."

Chuckling, Scorpius remarked, "Spoken like a true captain!"

The two fell in another comfortable silence for awhile until Albus closed the notebook and spoke, "Scor, that girl has been staring at you for ages!"

Scorpius looked up from his book and followed Albus' eyes. He spotted a pretty dark brunette smiling flirtatiously at him. "That's Maria, right?"

Albus nodded as he glanced back down at his notebook.

Scorpius smiled back at her. "She's pretty."

"Ellie will be jealous," Albus noted, chuckling.

"I think it's time to call it quits with her," Scorpius said. "She's getting boring." The sex that he'd had with her earlier wasn't as great as it used to be. Perhaps it was time to move on. "Maria looks much more exciting." he added.

Albus rolled his eyes and let out a laugh. "Why the hell do girls like you so much?"

Scorpius laughed as well. "Must be my undying good looks and incredible charm," he joked.

"Right, I'm sure that's it," Albus sarcastically said.

Grinning, Scorpius playfully elbowed Albus then went over to Maria to chat her up.

(

The following day, Lily came outside on the Hogwarts grounds to read before her next class. Lily loved the September weather. It was hot with a slight breeze. She didn't want to waste this weather by staying inside all day. So, she ate her lunch as fast as she could and then headed out here.

She lied on her stomach near a tree and opened a fictional book she'd borrowed from Aunt Hermione. Lily was so engrossed in the book that she didn't notice footsteps behind her moments later. Then she felt ticklish pangs in her sides and spazzed out while letting out a quick shriek. Turning on her side, Lily saw Scorpius chuckling.

"I didn't know you were so ticklish!" Scorpius cried out, grinning evilly. Lily didn't like the mischievous gleam in his eye.

"I'm not," Lily lied. "You just scared me." In truth, she was very ticklish, which was a fact that she preferred to keep to herself.

Scorpius eyed her suspiciously up and down. He tapped a finger on his chin and said, "Guess we'll have to test that theory."

Lily instinctively crossed her arms across her sides to prevent him from tickling her. "Don't you dare," she said.

This gesture only made Scorpius want to tickle her more, however. In one swift motion, Scorpius quickly stuck his fingers underneath Lily's hands and began to tickle her sides.

"Ah! Scorpius, no!" Lily cried out while laughing. She squirmed on the ground and hugged her sides tighter, but he wasn't letting up.

Scorpius shifted his body to be directly above Lily, his knees on either side of her legs. Then he moved his hands to her rib cage and tickled her, causing Lily to laugh even harder.

"Scor – stop – can't – take – it," Lily mumbled in between breaths. Although she felt as if she were going to pee her pants, she secretly enjoyed Scorpius tickling her.

"You said continue? Alright then," Scorpius teased as his fingers danced across her sides. He grinned, watching her face tinge red from laughing so hard.

Lily grabbed onto Scorpius' wrists and tried to pry them from her sides. With a bit of effort, she lifted Scorpius' left hand from her body, which caught him off balance.

To catch himself, Scorpius placed both hands next to Lily's shoulders, making the two faces almost nose to nose.

Once Lily was free from the tickle torture, she decided to get her revenge by tickling Scorpius back. Much to her dismay, he didn't budge. "You're not ticklish," Lily said, frowning. "That's not fair."

Scorpius stared into Lily's brown doe eyes and smirked. "It's a very useful skill to have."

Lily stuck her tongue out at him, and her breath caught as she realized just how close they actually were. She could have easily leaned in and kissed him. The thought sent shivers down her spine and her breath became uneasy.

Scorpius seemed to realize this as well because his eyes drifted to Lily's pink lips. She followed his eyes and bit her lip – a nervous habit – as she decided what to do.

But, the decision was made for her because Scorpius rather abruptly rolled over next to Lily then sat up.

Lily sat up as well, feeling a little disappointed. The moment she had been waiting for ages could have been perfect; too bad it didn't happen.

"I think I can definitely use this as blackmail," Scorpius remarked after a short, awkward pause.

Lily turned to him and asked, "What, my ticklishness?"

Scorpius slowly nodded, grinning.

Lily's mouth dropped open and she folded her arms across her chest. "Scorpius Malfoy, you will be in big trouble if you blackmail me!"

Laughing, Scorpius scrunched up his nose and teased, "You won't do anything."

"I'll hex you to next Tuesday! Don't underestimate me," Lily declared, grinning impishly.

Scorpius pretended to think hard about what she said as he rubbed his chin. "Hm, I'll take your word for it," he said. "You are a Potter, after all."

"Born and raised!" Lily proudly exclaimed.

"But maybe I'll just catch you off-guard instead," Scorpius added, smirking. Then he poked Lily in the side, causing her to jump. In response, Lily playfully shoved him.

"Alright, alright, you win!" Scorpius said, holding his hands up in surrender.

Lily smiled triumphantly. Then she asked, "So what're you doing out here anyway? Surely you didn't come just to annoy me."

Scorpius grinned and shook his head. "No, Al and I have a free period after lunch so we were going to practice Quidditch for a bit. But he's late as usual."

"Knowing him, he's probably still eating," Lily remarked. It was a wonder where Albus stored all the food he consumed; the Slytherin probably didn't have an ounce of fat on him!

Scorpius laughed at the very plausible statement. He glanced around him and noticed a book lying next to the tree. "Quite the bookworm you are," he said, turning back to Lily. Yesterday, she had been reading as well.

Lily shrugged. "It gives me something to do. I just wanted to enjoy this weather, but none of my friends wanted to share my company. They think it's too hot outside." She made a face when saying the last sentence.

"Well, you've always got me!" Scorpius exclaimed.

"Yeah, lucky me," Lily dryly stated, but winked at him so he'd know she was joking.

Scorpius laughed. He had always admired her spunk.

The pair talked for a few more minutes until Albus approached them. "Ready, Scor?" He asked his friend, two broomsticks in hand.

"Took you long enough," Scorpius said as he stood up and reached for one of the brooms.

Lily also stood up and grabbed her book. "Guess I should get my things before class."

"Alright, see you later, Lily," Scorpius responded.

Lily waved goodbye to both boys then walked back toward the castle, a small skip in her step.

(

In History of Magic, Lily's mind was still on her and Scorpius on the grounds just a half hour before. She couldn't get the way his eyes had lit up when he was tickling her or the way he'd looked down at her out of her head. Lily wasn't sure if the look were of longing, but she hoped it so. To be honest, Scorpius confused her a little. Sometimes the way he acted toward her made Lily think he liked her. But then nothing happened, which made Lily wonder if she were just imagining his longing looks. After all, she was Albus and James' baby sister, a fourth-year. What would Scorpius want with her?

Lily let out a deep sigh. These thoughts frustrated her a little. She wanted to ask him what he thought of her, but she wasn't that brave.

Slowly, Lily tuned back in to what Mr. Binns was saying just in time to hear him announce that the class would put together a project over the term. A collective groan resonated in the room.

"You will choose an event – be it goblin riots, the medieval times, what have you – that was significant to history. Write about the event and provide specific details, the people involved, and concrete facts," Binns wheezed, "You may work with a partner. Because you have until December, I expect the end result to be creative and lengthy.

"The War of 1997 is off-limits because it's been done so many times. Please tell me your ideas before the end of class. Now, you may use the rest of the time to choose a partner and come up with an event."

A loud murmur was heard through the class as everyone paired up. Lily, who sat in the middle of Hugo and Michaela Jordan, glanced at each of them. "How should we split up?" She asked them.

As Hugo opened his mouth to say something, Michaela looked to her left and smiled, then quickly declared, "I'll take Hugo!"

Lily frowned. She'd expected Michaela to pick her. Apparently, Hugo had expected the same thing because he looked shocked for a moment. Hugo and Michaela, both troublemakers, weren't always so productive when they worked together, which was why one of them usually paired up with Lily.

"Who'll Lily work with?" Hugo asked.

Just then, someone cleared a throat behind Lily. She turned around to find Eli Carmichael standing there.

"Er, hi. Would you like to be partners?" He shyly asked her.

Lily's eyes widened. Remembering the conversation on the train, she glanced at Michaela and noticed her friend proudly smiling. Not wanting to be rude, and she needed a partner, Lily answered, "Sure, that'd be great."

Eli sighed in relief and grinned. Lily switched seats with Hugo so that she could sit by Eli.

"Do you have anything in mind?" She asked him.

"I know a bit about giants. Maybe our project could be about when they helped You-Know-Who," Eli suggested.

Lily knew about giants from Hagrid, but she didn't know much. Perhaps they could pay him a visit. She missed Hagrid already even though she saw him a few times over the summer. "That sounds like a great idea. We should tell Professor Binns before someone else takes it."

Eli grinned and nodded. Then the two fourth-years walked over to Binns' desk and stood in line, waiting for their idea to be verified.

All the while, she knew exactly what Michaela was thinking – that working with Eli was perfect. Yet, Lily's thoughts were still on a certain tall blond.

* * *

><p><strong>So tell me your thoughts! Did you like it, hate it, had favorite moments, favorite quotes, etc. etc.? I would love to know so drop me a review!<strong>

**As I said before, reviews will make the wait shorter for Scorpius and Lily's relationship to kick off. :)**


	6. Chapter 5

**It took me forever to write this; I'm sorry. I've been busy with summer and my internship that fanfiction was in the back of my mind. But I haven't abandoned this story, so don't worry!**

**I changed the title because it was probably the worst title in the whole universe. I'm not incredibly happy with this one either, but for now I suppose it will do.**

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed, alerted, or favorited this story. It means a lot so keep them coming! :)**

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns all rights to Harry Potter. I am not J.K. Rowling.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 5<p>

Lily and Eli had been pouring over books of giants and the giant war for almost two hours in the library. They wanted to jot down their findings from research before doing anything else. Although Lily didn't think all their research needed to be done in one day, she was pretty sure Eli didn't share the same view. Yet, she didn't protest.

But looking out the window and seeing how dark the sky had gotten, Lily closed a brown leather-bound book and glanced at Eli, who sat across the table from her. "Shall we quit for the day?" She asked him, her brown eyes hopeful.

Eli wordlessly nodded as he wrote down one last thing. Then he closed his book and looked up at Lily. "We haven't gotten to these books yet" – he gestured to three thick books lying at the end of the table – "but we can meet up again next week."

"Fine by me," Lily said, smiling in relief to be done. Her wrist was seriously cramping!

"I think we're going to have one heck of a project," Eli remarked.

Lily smiled in response as she gathered her things. "Yes, and definitely once we get Hagrid's input." Neatly stacking the books on top of each other so Madame Pince wouldn't get angry, Lily curiously asked, "Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

Eli nodded, packing away his quill and ink. "I have a brother, Adam. He graduated last year. He was a Ravenclaw like me." He glanced at Lily and gave her a crooked grin. "My family is much smaller than yours."

Lily laughed and joked, "Lucky you." As much as she loved her big family and its silliness, she sometimes felt trapped from it being so well-known; it was almost as if an expectation had automatically been placed on her even before birth. But she didn't voice any of this to Eli, feeling as though he wouldn't understand.

Absently glancing up at the clock, Lily broke out of her thoughts and gasped. "Eli, we've missed dinner!"

The fourth-year boy followed her eyes then frowned. "Oh, guess we got carried away with the time. Are you hungry?"

Lily bit her lip and shrugged. "No, not really," she lied. Then as if on cue, her stomach betrayed her words and grumbled.

Eli laughed softly and joked, "Are you sure about that?"

Lily just smiled sheepishly in response.

"Lucky for you, I know a way to get us food," Eli said, his eyes twinkling.

"You do? How?" Lily asked. Saying nothing, Eli just smiled and got up from the table, motioning for Lily to follow him out of the library. She obediently followed.

The two fourth-years traveled down the fairly empty corridors. After a couple minutes, Lily's curiosity could no longer be contained. "Where are we going?" She asked.

"We're going to the kitchens," Eli finally told her.

Lily's eyes widened as she tilted her head to the side. "You know about that?"

Eli nodded. "Adam showed me last year."

"My brothers wouldn't tell me where it is. They said I had to find it myself," Lily said. She hated always being the last one to know everything; unfortunately, being the youngest, that was usually the case.

Eli smiled sweetly at the red-head. "You can find it with me."

Lily grinned brightly and happily followed Eli all the way to a painting of a pear, which was where they stopped.

"The kitchen is right behind here. Just tickle the pear," Eli instructed.

Lily glanced at the Ravenclaw then back at the painting. Still grinning, she ran her fingers over the pear and tickled it. Suddenly, the painting opened like a door and revealed a small, well-lit hallway.

She and Eli walked inside and were instantly met with greetings from house-elves.

"Eli Carmichael, welcome back!"

"Is that Lily Potter? What an honor!"

"Iris was wondering when Lily Potter would show up. Your brothers are in here all the time for a late-night snack!"

After greeting the eager house-elves, Eli said, "We missed dinner. Do you think we could eat something here?"

"Of course, of course!" The house-elf, Iris, said. "Iris will get a table for two ready."

Once a table was set up near a corner out of the way, complete with a tablecloth and a bouquet of flowers in the middle, Eli and Lily sat down. Shrimp risotto was served a few minutes later.

"This is wonderful," Lily commented before taking a bite of her food.

"I'm glad you agreed to be my partner," Eli said after a few comfortably silent minutes of eating.

"I'm glad I did too. Otherwise, I never would have found this place!"

Laughing, Eli said, "Surely that's not the only reason you're happy to be my partner."

Deciding to be coy, she bashfully asked, "What reason were you hoping for?"

Eli's ears tinged pink and he purposefully took a drink of his pumpkin juice to stall. After taking his time swallowing, he shyly said, "Er, no reason. I was just saying."

"Well, you're definitely more focused than Hugo and Michaela so we'll probably get our project done a lot faster," Lily commented.

"Yeah, sorry again for making you miss dinner," Eli muttered sheepishly.

"I don't mind," Lily said, carelessly waving her hand. "This is much better than the Great Hall."

Eli beamed as he rested his chin on his hand and gazed at Lily. "I definitely agree!"

Moments later, Iris came over to their table and asked, "Ready for dessert?"

Lily glanced at Eli and they both grinned. "Yes, please!" She answered.

(

The next day, which was a sunny Saturday afternoon, Albus and Scorpius headed to the Quidditch pitch with the intention of playing a pick-up game. At breakfast, they had asked their friends to join them, hoping to have enough people for two complete teams.

"I broke it off with Ellie yesterday," Scorpius told his best friend.

"Really?" Albus asked, a tone of surprise in his voice. "What'd she do?"

"She wasn't happy," Scorpius said, rubbing his temples from the memory flitting through his mind. "She yelled, called me names, and yelled some more."

"That bad, eh?"

Scorpius miserably nodded. "It wasn't as if we were dating or anything. I thought she'd be cool with it."

Albus sympathetically wrapped his arm around Scorpius' shoulders. "Guess you two weren't as casual as you thought."

"Yeah, that's the problem," Scorpius remarked, sighing.

Once the two Slytherins reached the grassy area, Albus inquired, "What about Maria?"

"She's definitely hot. But I figured I'd wait a couple days before snogging her."

A snort of laughter slipped through Albus' lips. "Quite the gentleman," he sarcastically stated.

Scorpius gave his friend a pointed look and playfully pushed him. "Bugger off," he said, but chuckled as well.

"You two ready to get creamed?" James asked as he walked up to the sixth-years. Fred Weasley, Roxanne, Andrea Finnigan, Lysander Scamander, and Sam Longbottom stood behind him.

Hugo, Lily, and Michaela walked up to the group seconds later.

"Unless I've been Obliviated, I remember beating you last time," Albus noted with a smirk.

"I had a shitty team. We're going to switch things up this time around," James retorted.

They waited until a few more people, including a couple of Slytherin players, showed up before officially picking teams.

James spoke up first, "I want Lily."

"No way, you always get her!" Albus protested.

"Who's older?" James haughtily asked.

"What, I don't get to choose?" Lily questioned.

Letting out a sigh, James said, "Fine, you can choose. But remember, I know where you sleep at night."

Lily grinned and glanced at Scorpius. He gave her an amused look back. Turning her gaze back to her brothers, she said, "I'll be on James' team."

Albus scowled while his older brother smiled triumphantly. "Whatever, we can win without her. I'll take Avery," Albus said.

After choosing teams and everyone mounting his broom in the air, Rose, who was always referee because of her unbiased fairness, threw the Quaffle in the air which signaled the start of the game.

Over an hour later, the game finished. James caught the snitch, which made his team win 270-145.

"If you hadn't rammed into me, I could have had it!" Albus told James as they gracefully landed on the ground. He tried to hide his disappointment from being beaten by his brother and vowed to beat James when it counted – in the actual matches.

As both Potter boys bantered over the outcome, Scorpius caught Lily's eye and made his way over to her.

"You're really good, you know that?" He said once he reached the brown-eyed Gryffindor.

Lily blushed and shook her head. "No, I'm not," she shyly countered, pushing back a loose strand of her auburn hair behind her ear.

"I'm serious. You scored like eight times," Scorpius went on. "Why aren't you playing for Gryffindor?"

"James asks me every year, but I don't know," Lily said, shrugging. "It's more of my brothers' thing."

"Guess I can't complain. Slytherin's team is better off without you playing Quidditch," Scorpius said, impishly grinning.

Lily laughed and playfully shoved the blond. "Wow, thanks!" She sarcastically remarked.

Laughing as well, Scorpius' grin grew wider. "Hey, I meant that as a compliment! After all, you're doing us a favor. You should feel proud!" He teased.

"Oh, right," Lily drawled. "When you put it that way, maybe I should tryout just to get the satisfaction of beating you every time."

Scorpius placed his right hand over his chest and faked a look of sadness. "You're so harsh! I thought we were friends!"

Struggling to laugh, Lily kept a composed face and smirked. She clearly enjoyed teasing Scorpius; it made her feel tingly inside, which was a feeling she seemed to always experience now when around him. "I just pretend to be your friend because I'm your only one."

Scorpius smiled crookedly and slowly shook his head from side to side. "You're becoming a bit too pretentious, Miss Potter. I think I need to teach you a lesson." Before Lily could do or say anything, Scorpius began tickling Lily's sides, remembering her weak spots from the other day.

Lily let out a shriek and tried to run away but Scorpius' hands tightly clutched her hips. Laughing, Lily leaned her body into Scorpius and shut her eyes, still trying to wriggle free.

Scorpius wrapped his arms around her waist and breathed in the scent from her hair. When his hot breath grazed her neck, Lily involuntarily shivered and she struggled to keep her heartbeat from rapidly beating out of her chest.

Just then, Michaela rather loudly cleared her throat. "Lily, we should head back to the commons."

Both Scorpius and Lily snapped their heads up to see Michaela with her arms crossed and both eyebrows raised, staring at them.

Scorpius dropped his arms to his sides and stepped away from Lily. A perplexed expression upon his face, he nervously ran his fingers through his hair and said, "Um, I should go find Al. Good game." Then he turned around and headed up the lawn, where Albus and James were still talking.

"Your timing is terrible," Lily dryly told her friend once Scorpius was out of earshot.

"Actually, I think it's spot-on," Michaela countered. "It looked like Scorpius was going to kiss you!"

Lily blushed and automatically smiled from the thought. "N-no he wasn't," she stammered.

"I thought you were over him," Michaela remarked as they began walking toward the castle.

"I never said that," Lily answered and her eyebrows creased into a frown as she undid her ponytail and put it back up again.

"Fine, whatever," Michaela dismissed. Eyes shining, she faced Lily and asked, "So how was your date with Eli last night?"

Rolling her eyes at the abrupt subject change, Lily replied, "Mick, it was not a date! We were studying!"

"You got in pretty late last night. You couldn't have been studying the whole time!"

"Well, no, not exactly."

Michaela grinned and wagged her eyebrows, elbowing her friend to spill more details.

"We missed dinner so he took me to the kitchen and we ate there," Lily explained.

"Dinner for two?" Michaela insinuated, her grin growing bigger.

Lily groaned at the persistence of her best friend. "It wasn't like that," she said. "Eli is nice. I had a nice time."

"Nice is a start," Michaela mused once they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. "Acid drops," she said. The door swung open and both girls walked inside.

"I can't just forget about Scorpius," Lily admitted. "What if he likes me back?"

Michaela sighed, realizing her stubborn friend wasn't going to give up so easily. Though it killed her to say this, she said it anyway. "You'll never know if you don't ask." She didn't want Lily to get hurt, and judging by Scorpius' track record, she figured Lily would; but at the same time, she knew Lily had to find out for herself to change her mind.

Lily grinned and nodded. "You're right, I should just ask him. Thanks Mick, you're the best!" She gave Michaela a quick hug then bounded up the stairs to change out of her sweaty clothes.

* * *

><p><strong>A little short, I know. But I hope you all enjoyed the chapter nonetheless! Send me a review to tell me your thoughts!<strong>

**And in case you were wondering, I didn't draw out the Quidditch match because I hate describing those and it was only a pick-up game.**


	7. Chapter 6

**I hope you guys are still sticking with this story. And thanks for reviewing!**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling reserves all rights to Harry Potter.**

Chapter 6

"Wow, I learned so much more about giants from Hagrid than any book!" Eli exclaimed as he and Lily made their way back from Hagrid's hut.

"I know! I can't believe his brother was a giant and he survived the War of 1997," Lily replied.

Nodding, Eli added, "It's sad that there are only a handful of them left."

The two fourth-years continued talking about their project until they reached the Quidditch grounds. There, Lily saw the Slytherin team walking off the pitch, looking exhausted and sweaty. She spotted her brother and turned to Eli. "Let me introduce you to Albus."

Before he could respond, she grabbed his arm and made her way toward the Slytherins. She greeted Albus and Scorpius and asked, "How were tryouts?"

"Oh no, I'm not giving anything away," Albus quickly said. "Did James send you down here to spy on us?"

Lily rolled her eyes and shook her head. "No, Al, I was not spying on you. I just came back from Hagrid's." She failed to mention that in fact James had asked her to spy on them. But of course, she refused because she had better things to do than being James' emissary.

Hearing this, Albus visibly relaxed. Then he looked to Lily's left and saw a boy standing a little too close to his sister for his liking. "Who's this?" He asked, staring at the boy with scrutinizing eyes.

"This is my friend, Eli Carmichael. Eli, this is my brother, Albus, and his friend, Scorpius," Lily introduced. She felt a little uneasy introducing Eli to Scorpius and vice versa. Her feelings for Scorpius had only grown stronger since the start of the school year; and she was waiting for a private moment to tell him how she felt.

Actually, now that she thought about it, this moment could be the perfect opportunity, once they were alone of course.

"Nice to meet you, Eli," Albus politely said.

"Likewise," said Eli. He turned to Lily and told her, "I'd better be getting back. I need to finish my Ancient Runes assignment. But maybe we could hang out tomorrow?"

Lily nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that." Eli grinned at her then took off after waving goodbye to everyone.

"So do you fancy this guy?" Albus asked his sister, his arms folded across his chest.

Lily narrowed her eyes in response. "What's it matter to you?"

"I'm your big brother. I need to know these things."

"Actually, you don't," Lily shot back. "And anyway, no, he's just my partner for a History of Magic assignment."

"Good," Albus said. "You're not ready to date."

Before Lily, who was growing more and more irritated, could counter back, Albus turned to Scorpius and said, "I need a shower. Let's go."

_Oh no,_ Lily thought, panicking. _I'm going to miss my shot. _"Wait!" She exclaimed. "I need to talk to Scorpius about something."

Both boys turned to her with confused looks.

"Um, okay," Scorpius responded. "I'll catch you later, Al."

Albus shrugged and headed toward the castle, leaving Lily and Scorpius alone.

"What do you need?" Scorpius asked.

Lily frowned. She had worded exactly what she wanted to say perfectly in her head a couple of nights ago, but now that the moment had arisen, her mind was a blank. It also didn't help that minutes before, Albus rudely told her not to date anyone. _Maybe this isn't such a good idea, after all, _Lily thought. Then again, not knowing how he felt back was killing her. She still didn't know whether he liked her or was just being nice.

To stall, Lily sat down on the grass and Scorpius followed, sitting down next to her. When Lily still didn't say anything, Scorpius touched her arm with concern and asked, "Is everything alright?"

Lily bit her lip, a nervous habit, from his touch. She opened her mouth to speak and asked, "Am I too young to date?"

Scorpius gave a small smile. "Lils, don't pay attention to what Albus says. He's just protective over you."

_This isn't exactly what I wanted to ask. Why am I such a coward? _Lily thought with a sigh. "What do you think, though?" She decided to take a roundabout approach.

"I think if you've found a guy you like and he's nice to you, then it shouldn't matter," Scorpius answered.

"I have found someone," Lily softly murmured.

"Oh. That's good," Scorpius said. "Then don't listen to your brother and do what you want. That's what I would do."

"But what if he doesn't like me back?" Lily asked, trying to sound mature and not like a little girl.

Scorpius smiled. "Lily, any guy would be lucky to date you. You're pretty, smart, and incredibly sweet."

Lily's eyes widened at his response and she definitely felt a blush creep to her cheeks. Her stomach lurched and she couldn't help the hugest grin from forming. Studying Scorpius' face, which also seemed like it was suddenly pinker than usual, Lily gained the confidence to tell him she liked him.

Unfortunately, bad timing seemed to a regular occurrence because just before she opened her mouth, a voice called out Scorpius' name. Both of them turned and saw a brunette approach.

"Maria, hey!" Scorpius exclaimed.

"I just wanted to make sure we're on for tonight," Maria sultrily said, tossing her long dark brown hair over her shoulder.

"Er, yes. At 10," Scorpius murmured, his face growing redder.

"Walk with me to the towers?"

Growing embarrassed from Lily sitting next to him and listening in on this conversation, Scorpius quickly and softly replied, "No, meet me there. Less chance of getting caught."

Maria nodded and winked, then practically skipped back to Hogwarts.

Scorpius slowly turned to Lily and sheepishly apologized. Lily shrugged, avoiding his gaze. "Is that your girlfriend?" She quietly asked.

"Er, not really. We're just hanging out, I guess." Scorpius could feel the tension in the air, but he wasn't quite sure why there was tension. He chalked it up to his not wanting Lily to think he was a horndog.

"But you like her?" Lily asked, knowing fully well what went on at the towers.

Scorpius scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, I suppose I do."

Lily's heart sank and she tried not to let the disappointment show on her face. "Oh. That's good then," she half-heartedly said. Deciding she wanted to be anywhere but here right now, Lily stood up and said, "We should probably head back."

Scorpius nodded and slowly stood up as well, an odd look upon his face. The pair made their way toward the castle in silence. Before they were about to part ways, Scorpius held Lily's wrist and said, "Thanks for confiding in me. I'll talk to Albus and maybe he'll come around."

"Yeah, maybe," Lily softly responded. "Have a good day, Scorpius."

"You too," he answered, but Lily had already turned around and briskly walked down the hall.

(

After getting out of the shower and dressing in comfortable clothes, Scorpius flopped down on his four-poster bed, determined to get a nap in before dinner.

However, just minutes after he closed his eyes, Albus burst through the door and lied down on his own bed. "What'd Lily want?" He asked Scorpius.

The blond Slytherin sighed and opened his eyes. Rolling onto his side to face his best friend, Scorpius said, "Er, she wanted advice about something."

Albus stared, waiting for Scorpius to continue.

"She asked me if she were too young to date," he clarified.

"You said yes, right?" Albus asked.

"No, I said she should do whatever she wants," Scorpius sheepishly replied.

Albus narrowed his eyes and sat up. "Why the hell would you tell her that?"

"I had my first girlfriend when I was a fourth-year," Scorpius reasoned, sitting up as well.

"You also lost your virginity that year, too!"

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Albus, just because she dates a guy doesn't mean she's going to have – "

"No, don't say it!" Albus interrupted, clamping his hands over his ears. "Do not say that word when talking about my sister!"

Scorpius sighed and leaned back against his pillow. He waited for Albus to calm down before saying, "I'm protective over her too, but you can't prevent her from growing up. Lily's going to do what she wants."

Albus released his hands, grimacing. He was quiet for a few moments before asking, "Did she say who she likes?"

"No, but I bet it's that Carmichael bloke," Scorpius said.

Albus frowned. "Let's not talk about this anymore. It's too weird."

Scorpius gave a small smile. "You're the one who asked. Anyway, if you don't mind, I'd like to take a short nap. Tryouts exhausted me!"

"I suppose I don't mind," Albus said, winking. "Besides, I should probably decide who's going to be on the team and make more plays."

Scorpius' smile grew wider and he shut his eyes again, trying to sleep. Unfortunately, Lily's conversation with him was still on his mind. He couldn't ignore the twinge of – what? It couldn't be jealousy from her liking someone. That was ridiculous; he wasn't even attracted to her in that way. _It must be because I'm protective of her too. I don't want to see her get hurt by some bloke. _With that reassurance in his mind, he more easily drifted off to sleep.

(

Lily sat next to Michaela and Hugo the next day, eating lunch in the Great Hall. She was still upset about finding out Scorpius didn't like her that way, though he never directly told her so. It was even worse to find out he liked someone else. Then again, she knew she shouldn't have been so stupid in thinking she ever had a chance with him. She confided in Michaela last night, who told her to move on from Scorpius, that he wasn't worth it. Lily was determined to try, but it would be difficult considering they were friends and he probably had no idea what he meant to her.

A tap on her shoulder interrupted her thoughts. Jumping, Lily abruptly turned around and found Eli standing there.

"Oh, Eli! You scared me," Lily said.

Eli smiled shyly and said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you."

"No, it's okay. What's up?"

The Ravenclaw boy shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Um, I was wondering if you would like to go down by the lake with me later today."

Lily smiled slightly. "Why don't we go right now?" She was finished with her food and getting some fresh air sounded like a great idea.

"Oh, okay," Eli said, breathing a sigh of relief. "That sounds great."

Lily got up from the table and, ignoring Michaela and Hugo's broad grins, followed Eli outside.

"It's such a nice day out," Eli said as they headed toward the lake.

Lily nodded, smiling. "I know. I love the beginnings of autumn." The air was crisp, but still warm. And the trees were just starting to change colors.

As they sat down side by side, their knees touching, Lily took a long glance at Eli. He was cute, she didn't deny that. He had short light brown hair with flecks of gold in it and the bluest eyes Lily had ever seen. He was built well, but not very tall, standing just a few inches taller than herself.

Eli was a different attractive than Scorpius; and as much as she knew her crush on Scorpius was pointless, she still had a hard time not thinking about him. _But maybe Eli could help me get over him, _she thought.

Noticing Lily's staring, Eli tilted his head and self-consciously asked, "Do I have something on my face?"

Lily blinked her thoughts away and quickly said, "No, no. I was just –" She paused, deciding to put her flirty skills that she'd learned from Rose and Roxanne last summer to good use. Lily ran her fingers through his hair and said in a low voice, "Your hair is really nice."

Eli reddened. "Um, thanks. I, er, like your hair too."

Lily smiled sweetly at him, batting her eyelashes. She was trying to come across as cute and confident, but inside she felt really stupid.

Eli shifted his body to face her better. "Um, Lily?"

"Yes?" She said while touching his arm.

Eli's face flushed again from the touch. "Um, I think you're really great. I always have."

She knew he'd had a crush on her because of what Rose had said. Lily decided that she liked Eli. He was smart and very nice to her. She didn't feel the butterflies like she did with Scorpius, but maybe that would come with time. "I think you're great too, Eli," Lily softly said, dropping the flirtatious act.

"Um, would you mind if I kissed you?" Eli nervously asked.

"Oh," Lily said, surprised. She'd never been kissed before, and she guessed he hadn't either. Lily nodded and leaned her head in, feeling very nervous herself.

Leaning his head to the other side, Eli slowly closed the gap and their lips touched. They stayed that way for another second before pulling away.

Grinning from ear to ear, Eli said, "I think you're beautiful."

Lily couldn't help but smile wide as well. No one had ever called her beautiful before! She leaned in and kissed the Ravenclaw boy again. This time, their lips opened ever so slightly and they pressed their lips against each other. Lily breathed in Eli's indefinable scent that was purely his. He placed a hand on her back as Lily leaned in closer and placed her hands on his hips. Her heart fluttered faster as their heads switched angles. The kiss only lasted under a minute, but Lily was sure it felt longer. She finally pulled away and smiled.

Eli smiled back, still blushing. He turned toward the lake, watching the water ripple and birds skimming the surface. Lily scooted closer toward Eli and leaned her head against his shoulder, looking out on the lake as well. Her heartbeat was still fast and she felt completely peaceful. _I could definitely get used to this._


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

After indulging Michaela what had happened between her and Eli, Lily was left more confused than ever. She knew Michaela would be ecstatic for her, which was more than she could say for herself. Honestly, Lily felt horrible. She hadn't been completely honest with her feelings. Maybe it was wrong to kiss one boy when she had stronger feelings for a different boy.

Lily had to know whether or not Scorpius liked her back. It wasn't fair to her or Eli. And if he didn't share the same feelings, then she would have no choice but to move on. Well, easier said than done.

So after classes were over, Lily was determined to tell Scorpius what she had been too afraid to tell him the other day on the lawn. She knew there was a chance what he said would upset her, but she needed to take that risk. It was the only way for her mind to get some clarity.

Thankfully her last class was Potions so it was just a short walk to the Slytherin commons. Lily waited outside the door until Scorpius walked by. It took maybe five minutes.

She spotted the blond Slytherin chatting to her brother as they headed toward her. Lily frowned, wishing Albus wasn't with him. But that was stupid, of course, because those two were _always_ together.

Albus spotted his sister first. "Lily?" He asked, surprised.

"Er, hey. I was wondering if I could steal Scorpius away for a moment," Lily said, though it sounded more like a question.

"Why?" Albus asked, growing suspicious. "Does this have anything to do with that Carmichael bloke?"

"Al," Scorpius warned.

Ignoring Scorpius, Albus added, "Whatever you need to tell him, you can tell me also."

_Actually, no,_ Lily thought to herself. She needed to come up with a lie fast. "It's about my...Potions assignment. He's been helping me out with it." A quick glance toward Scorpius told him not to question her.

"Lils, I can help you with homework too," Albus said.

"But he's better at it than you," Lily countered.

Scorpius lightly laughed. "She has a point."

Albus huffed. "Fine, whatever." Then he said the password and stalked inside the common room.

Scorpius turned to Lily, his arms folded across his chest. "I never helped you with an assignment," he stated, confused.

"I only said that to get you alone," Lily replied, suddenly feeling very nervous. Her legs felt like they would give out at any moment. "Um, can we talk in private?"

Scorpius' eyebrows furrowed as he wondered what was wrong. "Yeah, sure." He followed her to a secluded classroom nearby.

Lily hesitated in the doorway before walking in and closing the door. Scorpius sat down at a desk in the front of the room and asked, "What's going on?"

Wringing her hands, Lily faced Scorpius, standing in place. _Why is this so nerve-wracking for me?_ Finally she spoke, "Um, I wasn't being completely honest with you the other day."

Still confused, Scorpius stayed silent, waiting for her to continue.

"It isn't Eli Carmichael I like," Lily whispered. When Scorpius still stayed silent, she continued. "I just need to tell you this because I'm going to go crazy if I don't know. So here goes."

Dread washed over Scorpius as he realized what she was about to say.

"I like you Scorpius. A lot. I always have," Lily said, managing to keep her voice somewhat even. She stared the blond boy in the eye, trying to look confident.

Scorpius bit his lip, not knowing what to say.

"I know you probably don't like me back, especially if you like that one girl. But I just needed to say it, I guess," Lily more shakily added, feeling worried that he still hadn't said anything.

A couple moments passed by, both of them staring at one another. Finally, Scorpius spoke up. "Lily..."

The Gryffindor's heart sank, knowing what that tone meant.

"You're an amazing girl, truly," Scorpius started, formulating his words carefully. "But I'm not good for you. You're –"

"Albus' little sister, I know," Lily interrupted.

Scorpius gave a small smile. "_Yes_, but I was going to say you're very innocent."

"That's not any better," Lily exclaimed, trying not to let her voice sound too angry. But she felt very frustrated right now. This was not the direction she wanted the conversation to go in.

"It's a good thing, I promise," Scorpius reassured. "Unfortunately, that makes me the wrong guy for you."

Lily stepped closer to Scorpius, who had by now gotten off the desk and stood in front of her. "I don't care that you've been with other girls," she said, though she wasn't sure if that were entirely true.

Scorpius sighed. "It's not just that. You think I'm this wonderful person, but I'm not. And call me selfish, but I don't want to do anything to make you think otherwise. I like that you believe in me."

"I do! And that's why I could be good for you," Lily said, her brown eyes growing wider.

Scorpius took a long look at Lily. She was pretty, he didn't deny that. But she deserved someone better than him. He knew how badly he treated girls. He didn't know why he did it, but he would be damned if he corrupted Lily too. Then Scorpius thought about what James and Albus would think. That stopped short any thoughts of possibly liking Lily back.

"You're Albus' sister," Scorpius repeated the words Lily had said a few minutes ago.

Lily's eyes dropped to the floor. She hated being referred as that. "Am I not also your friend?" She muttered.

Scorpius placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look back up at him. "Yes, of course you are. So please, can't we stay friends?"

Lily's eyes began to water and she tried to blink back tears. The last thing she wanted to do was cry in front of Scorpius. That was so childish! "Okay," was all she could manage.

Scorpius felt awful for making Lily cry. But he didn't know how to make her feel better. He was glad she finally told him, but it was a conversation he didn't ever want to have. He didn't want to upset Lily or drive a wedge between them because he really cared about her, but as friends. He couldn't afford to think of her any differently.

"I've got to get back to Albus," Scorpius said after a bout of silence. "Will you be okay?"

Lily nodded, trying to convince both him and herself.

Scorpius gave her a quick hug then said before he left, "Eli seems like a genuinely nice bloke. I bet he could make you really happy." Then Scorpius opened the door and walked out, albeit with some difficulty.

Lily went straight to the Gryffindor common room, unable to hold back tears. She knew it was stupid to cry over a guy, but she didn't see how she could like someone so much and he not reciprocate those feelings. She also felt that Scorpius was using whatever excuse seemed reasonable to him; and that wasn't fair. Needless to say, Lily needed some much-needed girl talk to sort everything out.

(

That night, Scorpius met Maria in the towers. She had asked him earlier to join her again, and while he wasn't in the mood, he agreed anyway. He'd tried to get his mind off of Lily all day and thought making love to a different girl would be the key. Unfortunately, that plan wasn't working.

Scorpius explored Maria's mouth with his tongue while gyrating his pelvic as he lied on top of her. Maria was undeniably hot and any guy would be lucky to be in his position. Yet all he pictured in his head was dark red hair and those adorable brown eyes. He imagined kissing each freckle that dotted her small, round nose.

After kissing the fifth freckle in his mind, Scorpius' eyes flew open in horror. He was ashamed of the images playing out in his head. _I cannot think about Lily this way. I do not like her. She's like my sister._

Disgusted with himself, he pushed off of Maria and began putting on his pants.

"What the hell, Scorpius?" Maria exclaimed, outraged that Scorpius had abruptly stopped before her orgasm.

"Er, sorry, not feeling it tonight," Scorpius muttered as he hurriedly threw on his shirt and robe. "Maybe next time."

"You're not _feeling _it?" Maria jumped to her feet and shoved Scorpius. "You're such an ass! I can't believe I wasted my time on you!"

Scorpius ran his fingers through his hair, trying to find the perfect words to make her feel better. But he couldn't come up with anything.

"I'm not a one-night stand that you can push away whenever you please," Maria went on. "I could have any guy I wanted. You should feel _honored_ that I let you make-out with me."

"I know, I am," Scorpius quickly said, trying to rectify the situation. He liked Maria, and he wasn't ready to let her go yet. "I'm just really tired and I have a lot on my mind."

"Save it. You're not even that _good_," Maria said. "We are so over." Then she turned around to walk out of Scorpius' life forever.

Scorpius sank to the ground, watching her leave. He waited ten minutes before making his way to the Slytherin common room.

Reaching his bed, Scorpius hurriedly changed out of his robes and made his way to the bathroom. After brushing his teeth, he saw Albus walk in.

"Hey, you're back earlier than expected," Albus said, rubbing his tired eyes.

"Yeah, Maria's a bitch," Scorpius spat, wiping paste from his mouth.

Albus frowned. "Don't talk about her like that."

"Why? It's true," Scorpius said. "Anyway, she called me an ass."

"Now that is true," Albus noted.

Scorpius playfully shoved Albus, though his comment stung. "Whose side are you on?"

Albus shrugged. "Maria is a nice girl. You shouldn't talk about her like that."

Scorpius narrowed his eyes, all playfulness leaving him. "Sounds like you have a crush."

"So what if I do?" Albus said. "It doesn't matter anyway because you slept with her."

"I wouldn't have if I knew you liked her," Scorpius defended.

Albus scoffed. "Like the time in fourth year when I said I liked Ellie Davis and the next year you had sex with her."

Scorpius frowned, sifting through his memories. Grabbing hold of one, he said, "But last year you told me you didn't like her anymore because of her reputation. You said you wanted to date her, not sleep with her."

"But I never got the chance to see if we could date and if I could change her reputation because you took her away from me!" Albus exclaimed in a hushed whisper.

"You can't just change someone's reputation. That's not how it works," Scorpius harshly whispered. "Besides, she wasn't yours to begin with!"

"But I had dibs!"

Scorpius fell silent and rubbed his temples. He didn't know this upset Albus so much. Albus had never expressed his feelings about this before now. It was overwhelming. "I'm sorry," he eventually said. "But there are more girls – better girls than Ellie Davis that like you. You're just too picky sometimes."

"At least I have standards, unlike you who never turns down anyone with breasts," Albus bitterly said.

Scorpius felt like he received a blow to the chest. "I've turned girls down before. I'm not that bad," he quietly said.

"Oh yeah? How many?" Albus challenged.

Scorpius lowered his eyes to the floor and softly murmured, "One. Just one."

"She must have been pretty hideous then," Albus said before angrily stalking back to bed.

"No, she's beautiful," Scorpius said aloud to himself after Albus had left. He turned to the sink and splashed water on his face. He and Albus never fought, especially not over girls. He didn't know why Albus was so mad at him; it wasn't like he had intentionally gone out with Ellie to spite him. Albus was his best friend; he didn't want anything to come between that.

With that thought firmly in his mind, Scorpius hurried to bed, too exhausted to pay attention any more attention to the millions of thoughts running through his head.

* * *

><p><strong>Yay, I'm back! I'm sorry for taking so long. I know, it's inexcusable. But I've just had no motivation this summer. Anyway...I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It was short, but there was nothing else I could add. The next chapter will be longer.<strong>

**So...review! :)**


	9. Chapter 8

**Thanks so much for all of the reviews and keeping up with the story! Yay for a speedy update! :) I quite enjoyed this chapter. Hopefully you will too!**

**Disclaimer: Nothing of Harry Potter belongs to me.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 8<p>

Lily woke up early and dressed in her nicest jeans and a pale purple sweater which nicely accentuated her eyes. She braided her stick-straight hair and put on mascara and lip gloss, which was more makeup than she usually wore.

Today was the first Saturday of October which meant it was the first Hogsmeade trip of the year. It was also Lily's first date and she wanted to look extra good.

For the past week, Lily had managed to avoid Scorpius and had focused all of her attention on Eli. She was becoming very fond of the Ravenclaw. They spent most of their time studying in the library, stealing quick kisses every so often. Lily really enjoyed kissing him. Eli warded off unwanted thoughts of Scorpius, for which Lily was grateful. She was still hurt that Scorpius didn't like her, but it was to be expected. She was his best friend's baby sister; he would probably never view her any other way. If she were being completely honest, that thought hurt the most.

After breakfast, Lily exited Hogwarts with the other students and quickly found Eli waiting for her by one of the carriages. She gave him a quick hug and stepped inside with him, Hugo, and Michaela following behind.

"You look amazing," Eli said, grinning at Lily.

She blushed and glanced down at her feet. "Thanks."

"Aw, aren't you two just the cutest!" Michaela purred, smiling like a proud mother.

Lily looked up and scowled at her friend. "Oh shut up," she playfully responded.

"So I guess we can't crash your date?" Hugo joked.

"Definitely not," Lily replied. "But you two have fun on your own date." She grinned wickedly, knowing fully well that her two friends liked each other but lived in denial about it.

Michaela and Hugo reddened, which caused Lily's grin to grow wider. They both mumbled that it wasn't a date and looked away from each other.

Finally, the carriages pulled up to Hogsmeade. Once out, Lily waved goodbye to her friends and held Eli's hand. "Where should we go first?" She asked him.

"Um, maybe we could just walk around for now," he replied. "Unless there's something you really want?"

"No, I'm fine with walking around," Lily said, smiling. She couldn't help but smile when she was around Eli. He was so gentle, always putting her feelings first.

And so the pair weaved in and out through the crowd, their hands still clasped. They walked along the small stores, window-shopping until they found a shop that they really wanted to go in. Lily led Eli toward the back of Hogsmeade where the cobblestoned streets didn't hold as many people. Because third-years had crammed Honeydukes, Lily and Eli went into a smaller fudge shop.

"My favorite candy is peanut brittle," Lily confessed.

"That makes sense. It's sweet, just like you," Eli said.

Lily chuckled. "I bet your favorite dessert is cheese because you're so cheesy."

Eli frowned, taking the comment more seriously than it was intended. "Do I bother you with compliments?"

"No, no," Lily quickly reassured him. "I was joking. I like that you compliment me."

Eli breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "Good, because you're so easy to compliment."

Lily blushed and focused on the candies in front of her.

"Is there anything you'd like to try?" The shopkeeper asked them. "Or something you want to buy?"

"I'll take a bag of peanut brittle and a bag of chocolate fudge," Eli said, reaching into his pockets for a few sickles.

"Oh, you don't have to pay for me," Lily said.

Eli turned, his blue eyes gleaming. "I want to."

After Eli paid for the desserts, he and Lily went outside and sat under a nearby tree to eat their sweets.

Eli glanced around him a few minutes later and noticed a flower bed off to the side. He pocketed his bag and walked over when Lily wasn't paying attention.

"What are you doing?" She asked moments later, seeing that he was no longer beside her. Lily got to her feet and went over to Eli who had picked a handful of white flowers.

"These are for you," Eli said, handing her the flowers.

Lily took the flowers and smiled, breathing in the sweet scent. "They're beautiful."

"They're white lilies. Perfect for you."

Lily gasped, smiling brighter. These flowers shared her name!

Eli continued, "They have healing properties."

Looking up from her flowers, Lily asked, "How do you know so much about them?"

"I want to be a Healer," Eli said. "And I've studied botany in my spare time."

Lily shook her head, grinning. "You are really something, Eli Carmichael."

"I am?"

"Yes, you're amazing." Lily walked closer to Eli and gave him a sweet kiss. Eli was so romantic and right now she felt like the luckiest girl in the world to have him.

(

Scorpius and Albus wandered into Quality Quidditch Supplies, their first stop on every Hogsmeade trip. Things were still a little awkward between the two of them. Neither boy had talked about what happened that night in the bathroom; it had become an elephant in the room this past week. They had hoped the tension would dissipate, but that hadn't been the case. Scorpius was confused. He and Albus had never fought about anything. Even though they weren't technically fighting anymore, things still weren't the same. He didn't know how to make amends, but pretending the fight never happened obviously wasn't working. And with their first Quidditch match coming soon, amends would have to be made soon.

So after they left the Quidditch store, Scorpius pulled Albus aside toward a secluded area. "Hey, can we talk?"

"Yeah, sure," Albus said, having an idea what the talk would be about. He sat down on the grass and Scorpius followed suit.

Scorpius breathed in deeply, trying to decide how to start. Finally, he began, "Look, I know things have been weird between us. I just want to say that I'm sorry for being such an arsehole."

"I appreciate that. And I'm sorry too. I said some things I shouldn't have."

"No, you were totally justified. You're right, I don't treat girls well. That's why I'm giving them up."

Albus let out an involuntary snort of surprise. "You're giving up girls?" The idea was so absurd that he couldn't help but laugh.

Scorpius nodded. He had been thinking about this all week. He never wanted to let a girl – any girl – come between his friendship with Albus. Besides, he was such a prick to them and that's not how he wanted to be. He wanted to be better than that.

"I think it's best that I not get involved with girls for awhile," he confessed.

Albus considered this for a moment. "They have been keeping your mind off of more important things," he eventually said.

"Like what?"

"Quidditch, obviously!"

Scorpius laughed and Albus soon joined in. The tension finally began to disappear and things were soon going back to normal. After a healthy bout of laughter, Scorpius sobered up and asked, "So we're okay?"

"Definitely," Albus answered. "Let's agree not to ever fight again. I hate it!"

"Agreed," Scorpius said, grinning wide. "And if I ever start talking to a girl that you like, I give you full permission to hex me."

Albus chuckled. "Well, now that you've given up girls, the playing field will be much more open."

Scorpius shoved Albus, still grinning. "Come on, let's get some butterbeers."

"What a fantastic idea!" Albus said as he and Scorpius got up and headed to Madame Pomfrey's.

Before they even reached the door, they knew Madame Pomfrey's was packed. Weaving their way through the swarm of people, Albus finally spotted a table where two Ravenclaw girls had just left. He raced toward the table and sat down before anyone else could. Scorpius went to the counter to order two butterbeers then sat down across from his best friend.

"I really hate the first Hogsmeade trip," Albus said. "There are so many people in here!"

"Al, it's always like this."

"No, it's totally worse the first one of the year. All of the third-years are so psyched that they cram every store."

Scorpius grinned and shook his head at his friend. Albus really hated crowds.

"I can't believe we're having our first match soon," Albus said awhile later after they received their drinks. "It'll be against Hufflepuff which should be cake."

"Don't count Hufflepuff out just yet," Scorpius said. "I heard their new Seeker is supposed to be really good."

Albus scoffed. "He won't be nearly as good as me!" Albus took a sip of his butterbeer and glanced around him, hoping that no Hufflepuffs were around to hear his bashing.

"Alright, Mr. Arrogant – "

"Bloody hell!" Albus interrupted, spewing butterbeer.

"Ugh, what the hell, Al?" Scorpius exclaimed, wiping off Albus' spit from his face.

Not responding, Albus stared straight ahead.

Making a face at the brunet, Scorpius turned to see what he was staring at. Looking behind him and toward his left, Scorpius' eyes widened and his mouth dropped open.

There in front him were Lily and Eli making out in a booth toward the back. "Oh," Scorpius said, realizing this was why Albus spit out his drink. A sharp pang shot through his stomach as Scorpius stared at the two fourth-years longer than he should have.

"What the hell does she think she's doing kissing that prat?" Albus bristled.

Scorpius slowly turned back around, trying to shake the inappropriate feelings of jealousy that threatened to creep through his mind. _I shouldn't care who she kisses. It's not my place to be upset. Stop being stupid, Scorpius._

"Hey mates, what's up?" asked James, who had just sat down next to Albus. "Er, what are you looking at, Al?" He turned his head in the direction of his brother's, his eyes searching then stopping abruptly. "Please tell me that is not my baby sister doing what I think she's doing," he slowly said.

Albus finally tore his burning eyes away from the couple and focused on James. "I told her she wasn't allowed to go out with him!" He furiously announced.

James pondered this situation for a moment before getting a wicked gleam in his eye. "Hang on, I'll be right back."

Scorpius' eyes widened in horror as he watched James briskly walk over to Lily and Eli. Oh, this was not going to be good.

(

"Beautiful Lily," Eli murmured, his nose grazing Lily's nose as they stopped kissing to take in a few breaths.

Lily blushed a deep crimson. "You're too sweet for me," she whispered as she kissed both cheeks then his mouth. She didn't even care, or realize, that they were completely in public. Right now, this moment belonged to just her and Eli. Wonderful, ocean-eyed Eli.

Until the moment was interrupted by her stupid brother.

"Hey Lily," James said not so nicely. He scowled at Eli and crossed his arms across his chest before scowling back at his sister. "Having a good day, are we?"

"J-James!" Lily exclaimed, quickly breaking away from Eli.

"Oh, don't stop on my account," James drawled.

"Um, I'm sorry. You're Lily's brother, right?" Eli hastily said.

"This guy's a real genius!" James jabbed his thumb in Eli's direction, still not taking his eyes off of Lily.

"James, stop it!" Lily said, her face heating up more than she thought was possible.

Tearing his eyes away from Lily, James focused his attention on the Ravenclaw boy. His face morphed in a relaxed expression when he said, "I don't mind, really. But I would just be aware that Lily has a bit of a _gas _problem."

"James!" Lily shouted, horrified.

"She can get really smelly sometimes especially when she's excited. I mean, it really reeks so you might want to be careful. I wouldn't be surprised if you hadn't smelt something foul before. Chances are, it was her."

"James Sirius, you are the worst person in the entire world!" Lily shouted louder, tears brimming in her eyes. "Come on, Eli, let's go." She grabbed the Ravenclaw's hand and rushed out of Madame Pomfrey's, completely humiliated.

James sauntered back to Albus and Scorpius with a satisfied smile upon his face.

"Lily just left running," Albus said. "What did you say to her?"

"I told Eli that she had a terrible gassy problem," James said, smirking.

Albus high-fived his brother, laughing. "That is so mean and yet so hilarious!"

Scorpius frowned as he stared at the door from which Lily had just left. He felt awful for her. James and Albus could be ruthless when it came to protecting their sister. He understood to a certain extent, but it just made these pangs of jealousy all the more inappropriate. Scorpius quickly washed away these unwanted thoughts with the last of his butterbeer.

* * *

><p><strong>James is so mean! But you have to understand that he is a mischievious protective older brother.<strong>

**Anyway, tell me what you think about the chapter in a review! They keep me motivated! :) **


	10. Chapter 9

**Sorry for taking so long to update! :/ Life happens and motivation goes right out the window. But I hope this chapter will appease you all, and I hope you like it.**

**Thanks so much for reviewing, alerting and favoriting this story! It means a lot!**

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling reserves all rights to Harry Potter.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 9<p>

Lily wrapped her arms around Eli's neck to stick her tongue further in his mouth. She twirled her tongue around his while fingering his soft brown hair. Eli turned his head to the side to allow for more access and his left hand caressed her back.

This went on for a few more moments until Eli broke away. "Lily, there is something I want to ask you."

Lily wiped her lips of the excess saliva. "What is it?"

Eli took her hand and nervously asked, "Um, will you be my girlfriend?"

Lily smiled wide, her knees feeling weak from his sweetness. "Of course!" She instantly exclaimed. She'd been wondering why he'd taken so long to ask her.

Eli grinned big as well. He softly kissed her, still smiling upon her lips.

He and Lily were currently outside on the lawn. They were pretty much the only people out here because of the Quidditch match going on. It was Slytherin vs. Hufflepuff. Lily knew she should be at the game to support her brother and Scorpius, but to be quite honest she was still upset with her brother for encouraging what James did last weekend. Although, the reason for her absence was probably mostly due to the fact that she didn't want to see Scorpius. She was beginning to like Eli more with each day that went by yet she still occasionally thought of that infuriating blond Slytherin. She didn't mean for those thoughts to creep in; she wished she could just get over him. But she had, for the most part. It was just an achingly slow process.

For now, though, Lily refused to even let Scorpius' name sweep through her mind. Currently, she was focused on Eli and him alone. He was so sweet to her; all of her friends said that Eli was the perfect guy for Lily.

They'd spent over an hour outside kissing and talking. But mostly kissing. Finally, after both fourth-years' lips were swollen from making out and the cold air, Eli suggested, "Want to go to the library to work on our History of Magic project?"

"How can you be sure we'll get any work done?" Lily teased.

"Oh, I think we can find a way," replied Eli, "even if it takes us twice as long from frequent breaks."

Lily giggled as she and Eli got up and began walking inside, hand in hand.

After spending another hour and a half in the library researching giants, it was nearly time for dinner.

"Think we should wrap up and call it a night?" Lily asked.

Eli nodded. "Yeah, I'm hungry too." He began gathering parchment and books into his arms. "Go on ahead without me. I need to check these books out first."

"You sure?" Lily asked.

Eli gave her a kiss. "I want to freshen up anyways. I'll meet you in the Great Hall soon."

"Okay, see you there," Lily said, kissing her boyfriend goodbye. She wanted to freshen up, herself, and tell Michaela that she was officially in a relationship.

After walking out of the library, Lily was practically skipping to Gryffindor Towers. The hallways were still relatively deserted, and she vaguely wondered if the match were still going on. _Surely Albus would have found the snitch by now_, she thought to herself. But that thought was quickly replaced by feelings of pure excitement and happiness. She couldn't believe she had her first boyfriend! She was determined to enjoy it despite what her thick-headed brothers might to do to break it up. Lily still hadn't talked to James. She rarely glanced in his direction except to give him mean glares.

While Lily was busy immersed in her thoughts, she failed to hear two people quickly approaching from behind. Suddenly, Lily went limp.

_"Rennervate."_

(

Lily groggily woke up and realized that a stunning spell had been used on her. She glanced around and noticed she was in an empty classroom. Beginning to panic, she quickly reached into her pockets for her wand, but it wasn't there.

"Ah, Lily Potter. I've been looking everywhere for you."

Lily turned her head and noticed two guys in Slytherin robes facing her. She recognized them instantly.

She ran towards the door to escape, but they blocked her.

"Sorry Lily, we can't let you leave," Aiden Flint snidely remarked. Daniel Travers sniggered from behind.

"What do you want?" She asked, crossing her arms and setting her face in a cold stare.

"Well you see," Flint began, twirling his wand between his fingers, "your brother and Scorpius played a nasty trick on me earlier this term. And this is my revenge."

Lily frowned, not seeing why this would have to involve her. "Do you want information or something?" She asked, confused.

"No, Lily, what we want is you," said Travers.

Flint crept closer and placed his hand on her face. "You're so pretty. So innocent."

Lily flinched from his touch. The pit of her stomach felt like it was turning inside out. "Don't touch me," she harshly whispered.

But Flint just smiled and moved his hand down her face to her neck. Lily slapped his hand away and punched Flint in the face in one swift motion.

Flint grabbed his offending cheek and barked at Travers, "Hold her down!"

Travers did as he was told and roughly grabbed both of Lily's arms behind her back. Lily struggled to get free but he was too strong. "HELP!" She cried out.

"That won't do any good. We've locked and silenced the room." Then Flint got closer and fumbled to unbutton Lily's shirt.

Lily writhed to get free and kicked Flint hard in the shin.

"OW!" Flint slapped Lily out of anger.

Lily gasped in both pain and shock. Tears soon filled her eyes. "Why are you doing this?"

"I've told you!" Flint yelled. "To teach them a lesson. To hurt someone they love."

_Scorpius doesn't love me, you idiot,_ she harshly thought.

To avoid Flint being injured further, Travers tightened his grip on her arms while attempting to get her flailing legs under control. Meanwhile, Flint roughly crushed his lips upon Lily's while he felt her up, tearing her shirt a little in the process.

Uncontrollable tears streamed down her face as she still struggled to break free, but to no avail. Then she bit down hard on Flint's bottom lip, drawing blood.

"Bitch!" Flint cursed in frustration. "This is ridiculous!" He said a spell which caused Lily to ascend and fall backwards against a bookshelf, knocking her head on the edge of a table.

Both boys stared at her for a few moments. Finally, Travers nervously asked, "Is she unconscious?"

"Who cares?" Flint spat.

"I thought we were going to mess with her a little bit, not kill her!" Travers shouted, clearly worried.

"Come on, let's get out here," Flint said, dropping Lily's wand on the ground. He unlocked the door and both boys ran down the hallway.

(

After dinner, Albus and Scorpius clinked glasses of butterbeer, reveling in their victory with the rest of Slytherin in the commons.

"To Albus, the best Seeker in Slytherin history!" Scorpius announced. "His death-defying Wronski Feint won the game for us!"

"Here here!" The crowd shouted.

"Please, Quidditch god, give a speech!" Scorpius went on.

"Speech! Speech!" The crowd now yelled.

Albus unsteadily got on a table. "I would just like to thank my team for being so talented. Zabini, you're only a third-year but you killed it as Keeper! And I would also like to thank all of the Slytherin fans! This year we're going to be undefeated and take that Quidditch Cup from the bloody Gryffindors!"

The crowd cheered and chanted Albus' name over and over.

Later on after the crowd had died down a little, Scorpius and Albus both crashed on the couch. "You really like the attention, don't you?" Scorpius teased.

Albus grinned. "I can't help that I'm the best!"

Both boys laughed. "I'll drink to that!" Scorpius said.

Just then, the music suddenly got quieter and there was a hush throughout the room. Someone was heard whispering, "Hide the alcohol."

Scorpius and Albus glanced behind them and saw the Slytherin Head of House, Professor Donovan, standing in the doorway. "A word with Albus Potter, please."

A sigh of relief went through the crowd. Obviously Donovan was going to praise Albus on a job well done.

Albus walked over to Donovan and asked, "Pleased with me about the outcome?"

"Yes, you did very well," he replied. "But that's not the reason why I interrupted this party." Albus cocked his head to the side, confused. So Donovan continued, "Albus, I'm afraid your sister has been attacked tonight. She was found by Professor Macmillan. McGonagall has already notified your parents and James. She's in the Hospital Wing if you would like to see her."

Albus was stunned. "Er, yes sir."

As Donovan walked out, Albus slowly made his way back to Scorpius. "Lily's been attacked. Let's go." His voice sounded distant.

"Wait, what?" Scorpius jumped up in alarm and hurried with Albus out the door. "What happened?"

"I don't know," Albus said as he and Scorpius nearly ran to the Hospital Wing.

Once they arrived, they found James, Michaela, Harry and Ginny surrounding a bed.

"What happened?" Albus demanded as he pushed to the front to see Lily.

Lily was lying down, bruises on her cheek and a bandage on her head.

"Ernie Macmillan found her lying down in his classroom sometime after dinner," Ginny spoke. "We don't know how long she was unconscious, but she has a concussion and her shirt was ripped. She's investigating right now."

Scorpius' heart sank. How could someone do this to her?

"Why isn't she awake?" Albus asked, feeling sick.

"Madame Pomfrey gave her a potion which made her drowsy," James replied.

"Do you know who could have done this?" Harry asked.

Albus and Scorpius looked at each other. Everyone liked Lily; she didn't have any enemies. "Do you remember how Flint was going on about getting revenge on us the other day?" Scorpius asked Albus.

A furious look crossed Albus' features. "You think he could have done this?"

"Who else?" Scorpius desperately asked; his blood was boiling.

Albus thought for a moment then clenched his fists. "I'm going to kill that son of a bitch!" Then he sprinted out of the Hospital Wing in search of Flint.

"Albus!" Ginny called out.

James and Scorpius glanced at each other then ran for the door, but not before Lily, who had just woken up, weakly exclaimed, "Scorpius, wait."

As James hurried to catch up to his brother, Scorpius turned around.

"Please stay," she said.

Scorpius wanted to punch Flint until he was unconscious, but he didn't want to disappoint Lily. So he went over to her and knelt down on the floor.

Lily looked at Michaela and said, "Could you tell Eli? He should know."

Michaela nodded and without a word left for the Ravenclaw tower.

"Lily, sweetie, we're going to find McGonagall," Harry said. "We'll be right back."

"Get some rest," Ginny added. Then they left as well.

Now Lily and Scorpius were alone. And Lily couldn't hold her tears in any longer, even though it hurt.

"Was it Flint?"

Lily weakly nodded, the tears spilling down her face. "H-he kissed me and Daniel Travers held me down."

Scorpius took Lily's hand and pressed his face on the bed. He was struggling to keep from exploding out of anger. "Was that it?" Scorpius asked as calmly as he could. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know her next answer.

"H-he f-felt me up, b-but that was it," Lily stuttered from sobbing so hard. "Scorpius, I f-feel dirty."

"No, Lily, you're not dirty," Scorpius said, raising his head to look at her. His heart ached. All he wanted to do was hug and comfort her. "You're beautiful and no one should have ever taken advantage of you. I'm so sorry, Lily. This is all my fault. I shouldn't have messed with him." Scorpius felt absolutely horrible. If he and Albus hadn't pulled that stupid prank, Lily wouldn't be in the hospital. It killed him to think that a guy could do this to a girl.

Lily weakly squeezed Scorpius' hand to reassure him. After she got her sobs under control, she softly spoke again. "Eli is my boyfriend now, but I've already cheated on him."

Scorpius frowned at the word, "boyfriend." He shouldn't have felt pangs from that word, but he quickly pushed those aside. It was neither the time nor the place to assess his inappropriate feelings. Right now, he had to be there for Lily as a protective friend.

"You didn't cheat on him, Lily. He will understand."

Lily bit her lip and closed her eyes, hoping Scorpius was right. How did such an amazing day get so ruined?

As if on cue, Eli rushed inside the Hospital Wing and knelt down on the other side of the bed. He stared at Lily's wounds and softly kissed her cheek. "Merlin, how could someone do this to you?"

Lily took her hand from Scorpius' grip and turned her head to face her boyfriend. "It's not as bad as it seems." She gave a weak smile to ease his worry.

Eli took both hands and kissed them each. "I shouldn't have left you alone. I should have walked you to dinner."

"Shh, you didn't know," she said. Turning her head back to Scorpius, she added, "Neither of you did."

Eli glanced over at Scorpius, noticing him for the first time. "Don't worry; she's safe with me now. You don't have to watch over her."

Scorpius slowly nodded, his stomach pangs feeling more intense. "Right, okay." Although he wished he could stay with Lily for the rest of the night, Scorpius awkwardly kissed her on the top of her forehead. "Good night, Lily. I'll be back in the morning."

"Good night, Scorpius."

With one last look, Scorpius walked out of the hospital and in the direction of the dungeon.

Reaching the hallway where the Slytherin commons door was located, Scorpius saw McGonagall, Albus, James, Donovan, Flint and Travers standing right outside.

He hurried to them, the anger quickly replacing the pangs in his stomach.

"Go get your things, both of you. We will not tolerate violence of any kind here at Hogwarts," McGonagall sternly said. The look on her face could kill.

"Lily said it was them," Scorpius said.

"Yes, they've just confessed," Donovan said.

"Are they being expelled?" Scorpius asked.

McGonagall nodded. "I trust you will handle it from here, Xavier?"

Donovan nodded then went inside to make sure Flint and Travers were doing as they were told. After McGonagall left, Scorpius said, "I hope that bruise on Flint's face was from one of you."

"I believe that was Lily's doing, actually. Professor Donovan arrived soon after we did," James said. "It didn't take long for Travers to confess."

"I'm still so angry," Albus exclaimed. "It was a stupid prank! He took it way too far!"

"I know," Scorpius said. "He's a malicious bastard."

"Well, I'm going to check on Lily before heading to my dorm," James said.

"Her boyfriend, Eli, is there," Scorpius warned.

James made a face. "Boyfriend? Seriously? I think Lily needs to be locked in a convent because I swear the next bloke that touches her, I'm ripping his face off."

Scorpius winced as he and Albus said goodnight to James and walked inside the dormitory.

"Why didn't you follow James?" Albus asked.

"Lily woke up and told me to stay," Scorpius reluctantly said.

Albus was quiet for a moment. "That's strange."

Scorpius shrugged, not wanting to get into it. "Anyway, we should probably get some sleep. This has been a long day." He'd been on such a high from Quidditch earlier today and now he felt like the entire world had just fallen from his feet. How did everything get so messed up?

* * *

><p><strong>Heavy stuff, huh? Please review and tell me what you think. I promise, Lily will be okay. :)<strong>


	11. Chapter 10

**Woo, another fast update! Don't get too excited; I'm not sure how long it will last. But I'll try! Things are starting to get more interesting for our lovebirds (even though _someone_ won't admit it yet, hehe). This isn't a very long chapter, and I apologize. It's more of a set-up for the next chapter, which will be much longer. It's all written in my head...just not typed yet. Sigh.**

**Anyway...thanks to everyone for reviewing, alerting, and favoriting this story!**

**Disclaimer: I have no rights to Harry Potter.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 10<p>

The next morning, the Hospital Wing was surrounded with Lily's family and friends, and even some people that Lily had probably only talked to a handful of times. News had spread fast about the attack and everyone was abhorred that someone had done this to Harry Potter's daughter. They all wanted to see how she was doing.

Lily felt rather claustrophobic by the mob. She didn't mind her family stopping by, but did they all have to get her breakfast and juice? She could only eat so many biscuits! Eli hadn't left her side except to take a shower and change clothes in the early morning. Madame Pomfrey had let him stay in the bed next to Lily's at their insistence. She didn't want to be alone that night, and Eli made her feel very comfortable. She was also pleased that he wasn't upset that Aiden Flint had kissed her.

"Classes are starting soon. I don't want to make you all late," Lily politely said.

"I'll get your homework and be back at lunch," Eli said after giving her a kiss.

"You're sure you'll be okay by yourself?" James asked, glaring at Eli.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Yes, James. And anyway, Madame Pomfrey says I can leave this evening." She didn't have any serious injuries. Why was everyone making such a fuss over her? Honestly, this was the most attention she'd ever received! And Lily wasn't sure she enjoyed it.

After saying her goodbyes to everyone, Lily was left alone and she could finally drift back to sleep.

(

Scorpius and Albus sat in Herbology but neither of them could pay attention to Professor Longbottom's lesson.

"Why didn't you come see Lily this morning?" Albus quietly asked his best friend.

"Er, I figured it'd be too crowded," Scorpius replied. That was partly true. But mostly, he wasn't sure he could stand to see Lily in the state she was in. It hurt him more than it probably should to think of what Flint and Travers did last night. Although, he was incredibly pleased to see their beds empty this morning. Professor McGonagall had made the announcement at breakfast that they had been expelled.

"Well you should come with me during our lunch break," Albus went on. "We could ask the house elves to make her favorite dish."

Scorpius glanced at Albus and reluctantly nodded after a few moments. He didn't want Al to think there was a reason for Scorpius not wanting to visit Lily. "I think she'd like that," he said.

So after their morning classes, the Slytherins went to the kitchens then arrived at the Hospital Wing. Lily was awake reading a book. Hearing footsteps, she looked up from her book and smiled to see her brother and Scorpius.

"How are you feeling?" Albus asked.

"Haven't gotten any worse since you asked me four hours ago," Lily responded. Albus gave her a pointed look.

"We brought you lunch," Scorpius said, handing her a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich.

Lily's eyes brightened. "Wow, my favorite! Thanks, guys!"

"It's a weird choice though," Scorpius commented.

Lily laughed. "That's because you've never tried it before. Here, try a bite!"

Scorpius shook his head. "Nah, you need it more."

Right then, Eli walked in holding a tray of his own. "Hey Lily. Hungry?" Noticing that she was already holding a sandwich, his face faltered. "Oh, I've already brought you lunch."

"That's okay," Lily quickly reassured. "I'm hungry for more."

Eli breathed a sigh of relief and set his tray of tomato soup and an apple on the end table next to her bed.

Before Scorpius thought about what he was doing, he blurted out, "Lily doesn't like tomato soup."

Eli sharply glanced over at the blond then at Lily. "Is that true?"

"Er, yeah, but it's fine," she uneasily replied.

Eli glanced down at the ground. "Sorry, I didn't know." He scowled at Scorpius then sat next to Lily. "Well, I can keep you full from my kisses." He leaned in to kiss Lily, which prompted laughter from her. "Wait, let me swallow first!"

Scorpius and Albus exchanged glances. They both felt awkward at having to watch Lily and Eli kiss. Albus cleared his throat. "Uh, could you not do that in front of me?"

Eli reddened and abruptly stopped. "S-sorry, I didn't realize."

"We should probably go," Scorpius softly said.

Albus rolled his eyes and sighed. "_Fine_, have fun with your boyfriend."

Lily grinned. "Thanks for the sandwich!" Then she turned back to Eli and kissed him on the cheek after Scorpius and Albus left.

Eli rubbed Lily's arms, his fingers dancing across her soft pale skin. "The Halloween dance is next week."

Lily smiled at her boyfriend. "Yes, I know."

"We're going together, right?" He shyly asked.

Lily giggled and playfully rolled her eyes. "You're my boyfriend, aren't you? Of course we are!"

Eli grinned and gave her a peck on the lips. "I only wanted to be sure."

"I hope you're a good dancer," Lily said in between kisses.

Laughing, Eli responded, "I'm awful."

"That's okay. I can teach you." Lily smiled again at Eli. In this moment, under the circumstances, she felt blissfully happy. And she couldn't wait to dance the night away with a special ocean-eyed Ravenclaw.

(

For the rest of the afternoon, Scorpius still couldn't concentrate. He had felt pangs of jealousy watching Eli kiss Lily, and that wasn't the first time he'd felt them. After his last class, he went to his bed to lie down and properly think about them. Scorpius didn't know why his feelings for Lily were changing. Why did he want to kiss her and hug her and protect her from everyone else? He knew these feelings were more than brotherly; they also were inappropriate. _For Merlin's sake, this is Albus' little sister! I've known her for over five years and not once did I feel attracted to her._ Scorpius loudly exhaled and turned over onto his side, gripping his pillow.

He tried to think of when he first became attracted to her. _It had to be this summer,_ he thought. _She grew up, especially physically, and what guy wouldn't notice that?_

Scorpius frowned. _But I'm no good for her. I told her that. I would only mess things up if I pursued her. _He groaned, suddenly thinking of Albus.

_And Albus would absolutely kill me! He would hate it! _Then Scorpius thought for a moment. _Then again, what if he'd be okay with it? I can prove to him – and Lily – that I'm not a jerk with girls. And we can all hang out together._

Scorpius sighed. He knew this world wasn't that idealistic. Abruptly sitting up, the Slytherin let out another frustrated sigh. This internal dialogue was getting nowhere. He decided right then and there that he wasn't, under any circumstances, going to start liking Lily Potter. No way in hell. It would complicate everything.

_I'm just sexually frustrated, that's all, _he tried to reassure himself. _I haven't so much as kissed a girl in almost two weeks. I just need time to let my libido calm down and this stupid crush will inevitably pass. _He was determined for it to pass.

Later that night after dinner, Scorpius and Albus were playing wizard's chess. Or rather, Scorpius was kicking Albus' ass at wizard's chess.

"Come on mate, just admit that you're not good at this game," Scorpius teased.

Albus frowned. "I beat you last week!"

"After I already won three games," Scorpius said while laughing. "Your problem is that you don't focus enough."

"It's not my fault that I have other things on my mind besides chess," Albus pouted. "I can't turn my mind off like you!"

"What could you possibly be thinking about?"

Ignoring Scorpius, Albus was silent for a few moments as he thought about his next move. Finally he asked, "What do you think about Eli?"

Scorpius gave his friend an odd look. "You've been thinking about Lily's boyfriend?"

"Do you think he's a good guy?" Albus pressed on.

"Yeah, I guess," Scorpius shrugged indifferently. He definitely wasn't going to explain his unwarranted feelings of jealousy for the Ravenclaw.

Albus let out a long sigh. "I don't know, I guess he's an alright bloke. I just don't like the idea of someone dating my little sister."

Scorpius frowned. "Why not?"

"It's just – " Albus sighed again. "How do I explain?" He was silent, trying to formulate the right words. "I guess I don't want some tool to break her heart. I know how horny guys are and I don't want one of them treating her like a piece of meat."

Scorpius didn't say anything, suffering in silence from the heart pangs.

"That makes sense, yeah?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Scorpius slowly said. "But at the same time, she has to make those mistakes for herself."

"It's just weird. I still see her as six years old sometimes."

Scorpius cracked a grin. "That sounds something like Harry would say."

Albus rolled his eyes. "Let's just drop the subject. Anyway, I don't think Eli is a horny bastard, so for now I don't have a problem with him."

"They sure kiss an awful lot, though," Scorpius muttered.

Albus winced. "Dropping the subject now, please!"

"Sorry."

The two boys went back to their chess game, staying silent from the concentration.

"Check!" Albus triumphantly exclaimed.

Scorpius chuckled. "Ah, you're falling right into my trap!" He maniacally said.

Albus furrowed his eyebrows together, trying to think of Scorpius' next move. After a couple of moments, he asked, "So who are you bringing to the dance?"

Scorpius looked up, surprised. "I'm on a girl ban, remember?"

Albus snorted in laughter. "I didn't think you were actually serious!"

"Of course I was!" Scorpius exclaimed, affronted. "I always keep my word."

"Well I'm not going with anyone, either," replied Albus. "Although, I thought about asking Melissa Finch."

"Oh, she's cute, for a Hufflepuff."

Albus shot Scorpius a look. "You haven't had sex with her, have you?"

"No!" Scorpius shouted more loudly than was necessary. "Honestly Albus, I haven't slept with every girl here!"

Albus bit his lip, wishing he could take back that comment. "Sorry, I didn't mean to assume."

"And I won't go after her either, so you don't have to worry about that." He was a little irritated about his friend's assumption of his supposed whoring around Hogwarts. He wasn't that bad, was he? Scorpius inwardly sighed, thankful no one would answer that question for him. But he couldn't help note the irony of how Albus was practically the exact opposite of him when it came to girls.

"Thanks. And sorry again," Albus mumbled.

Scorpius shrugged. No, it definitely wouldn't do to have a crush on his best friend's sister.

* * *

><p><strong>Tell me what you think in a review below! Thanks for reading!<strong>


	12. Chapter 11

**Yay, another chapter! This is another short one; sorry. :/ But on the bright side, at least it isn't taking me three months! Thanks for reviewing, alerting, and favoriting to the story. I greatly appreciate it! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling reserves all rights to Harry Potter. Obviously.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 11<p>

Lily twirled in front of the mirror, her dark green floor-length mermaid gown flowing around her legs. Her red hair was up in an intricate bun with a few curly tendrils hanging in her face.

"You look stunning, Lily!" Michaela exclaimed.

Lily faced her friend and smiled. "So do you!" Michaela donned a knee-length strapless purple dress which sparkled in the light. Tonight was the Halloween dance, and Lily was so excited because it was her first year to attend. Only fourth through seventh-years were allowed to go. The dance was actually more of a ball instead of a costume party, which explained her fancy attire. Over the summer, Lily had begged and pleaded with her mum to let her buy the gown for this occasion.

"Shall we go downstairs? I think Hugo and Eli are waiting," said Michaela.

Lily grinned. "I knew you two liked each other!" Her two best friends were finally realizing they had feelings for each other; Lily found it so adorable.

Michaela blushed, too bashful to say anything.

Downstairs, the commons was nearly empty except for a few first and second-years. The dance had started by now, and Lily and Michaela were fashionably late. Immediately, Lily spotted their dates. Eli looked incredibly handsome with his brown hair styled and dressed in modern dress robes, his green tie matching her dress.

"Wow Lily, you're beautiful," Eli said, giving her a soft kiss. Linking arms, the couple soon began making their way to the Great Hall with Hugo and Michaela.

"I've been waiting for this night for so long," Lily confided, her brown eyes twinkling up at her boyfriend. After what had happened last week, Lily was ready to put the attack behind her and enjoy what was sure to be an enchanting evening.

(

"You're keeping Melissa waiting," said an irritated Scorpius. "And your hair looks fine." He'd been leaning against the bathroom wall, waiting impatiently for Albus to perfect his hair, who had been at it for nearly 10 minutes.

"It still looks a mess!" Al cried out, deciding that no amount of magic could fix his unruly mop of hair.

Scorpius rolled his eyes. "Here, just comb your bangs to the side – yes, like that," he said, helping his poor friend. "There, much better."

Albus examined himself in the mirror for a minute longer, straightening his light green tie, before deciding he looked presentable enough for Melissa. "Okay, let's go!"

"Finally!" Scorpius sighed in relief as they headed out of the bathroom. The two Slytherins walked down the hall and hurried toward the Great Hall. Melissa was waiting just outside the entrance.

Scorpius watched as Albus and Melissa briefly embraced and shyly exchanged compliments. He tried not to get jealous, but it was weird not having a date to the dance this year. Loosening his black and silver tie, Scorpius frowned. He had made a promise both to Albus and himself (although Al hadn't taken it very seriously) not to get involved with any girls for a while. To be quite honest, Scorpius would have rather not gone to the dance. Watching all of the couples having fun would only remind him how lonely he felt.

As the three entered the Great Hall, Scorpius was blown away like he was every year from the transformation. None of the four tables were in sight. Instead, there was a stage with the hottest band right now, The Ghoul Brothers, playing rock songs and a massive dance floor filled with a mob of people in the middle of the room. Benches lined the walls and a big refreshments table was near the back. Twinkling fairy lights hung from the ceilings, casting an alluring bluish glow around the room.

Scorpius went to the refreshments table to pour himself a cup of pumpkin juice; oh, how we wished he had alcohol to spike the punch! Glancing around him, he was mildly irritated that Albus and Melissa were already on the dance floor. He figured Albus would at least try to keep him _some_ company for a bit. But on the other hand, it was great that Albus finally had a date. The last thing Scorpius wanted to do was ruin his best friend's fun.

Scanning the sea of people dancing, Scorpius searched for others he knew. His eyes soon landed on the most beautiful girl in the room. Scorpius' breath hitched as he watched her dance in her tight-fitting dress which beautifully accentuated her curves. Lily Potter looked so much older – not like the young, blossoming girl he knew her to be. Scorpius got a fluttery feeling in his stomach and he felt an intense urge to dance with her and hold onto her forever.

Someone then touched his arm, causing him to wake from reality.

"Care to dance, handsome?" A pretty brunette with olive skin confidently asked.

He broke his gaze and looked at Sue Lin, a seventh-year Gryffindor, and gave a small smile. "Of course." He took Sue's hand and led her to the dance floor, relieved for the distraction. He did not need to be having these thoughts about Lily.

Scorpius playfully twirled Sue around a couple of times before taking her into his arms to sway to the upbeat music.

"Why haven't you got a date?" Sue asked.

"I was waiting for the right girl to come along," Scorpius said, winking.

"Well aren't I lucky," Sue batted her eyelashes at him.

The pair danced for a couple more songs before Sue stopped and sultrily whispered in his ear, "Come find me later. I'd like to explore more than your dancing skills."

Scorpius smirked in spite of himself, temporarily forgetting his "girl ban." As a slow song started, Scorpius spotted Albus and Melissa sitting on one of the benches with cups of pumpkin juice in their hands and went over to them.

"Having fun?" He asked the pair.

Albus and Melissa glanced at each other and nodded. "Best night ever!" Albus grinned.

Melissa giggled. "It's not over yet, Al!"

"So, Sue Lin, huh?" Albus implied, winking at his best friend.

Scorpius shrugged but gave a cheeky grin. "Yeah, maybe. We'll see how the rest of the night plays out." His gaze went back to the dance floor and he again spotted Lily slow-dancing with Eli. Lily eventually caught his eye and smiled shyly at him. Scorpius smiled back and gave a small wave.

"I hardly recognized Lily at first," Scorpius told Albus.

"Hm? Why?"

Scorpius had expected Albus to agree with him and make a comment about how she should cover up or something. "Er, well, she just looks very grown-up."

"Yes, your sister is very pretty, Albus," chimed Melissa.

Albus glanced at his sister and shrugged. "Eh, I guess." Then he looked up at Scorpius and half-joked, "You'd better not have a thing for her. Because otherwise, I'd have to kill you."

Scorpius nervously laughed, trying to fight off a blush. "Of course not! That's weird to even think about." He glanced back at Lily and wished he hadn't even said anything in the first place. "I didn't mean that at all."

Albus stood up and clapped a hand on Scorpius' shoulder. "I know, mate. Don't worry." He grinned then turned to his date. "Well-rested yet?"

Melissa nodded and stood up as well so that they could catch the remainder of the slow song.

As the two walked back on the dance floor, Scorpius sat down and sighed. He needed to confront these feelings soon. They were starting to drive him mad!

Once the song ended, Scorpius had made up his mind. He would dance with Lily and find out for himself just what these feelings meant. So, Scorpius strode with fierce determination to where Lily and Eli stood. "Hello Lily, you look beautiful," he said, giving his famous cheeky grin.

Lily blushed, and mentally chided herself for doing so. "Thank you, Scorpius. You look very handsome, yourself."

Scorpius turned to Eli and asked, "Would you mind terribly if I stole her for a dance?"

Eli gave a questioning look to Lily. "Er, I suppose if it's okay with her."

Lily's heart seemed to skip a beat. "Maybe just one dance," she politely, but uneasily, said.

Scorpius confidently smiled, although he felt nervous inside, and took her hand. Meanwhile, Eli slunk off to get a glass of punch. Wrapping his arms around her waist, but keeping a safe, comfortable distance between them, Scorpius was able to look at Lily more closely. "You took my breath away tonight when I first locked eyes on you."

Lily gulped and cast her eyes to the floor as she cautiously wrapped her arms around his neck. She should have felt thrilled in this moment, but instead she was completely confused. "Why are you doing this?" She softly asked.

"What do you mean?" Scorpius asked, tipping her chin up so that she could look at him.

Lily stared into Scorpius' stormy grey eyes and took a moment to gather confidence. "_This_. Dancing with me and giving me compliments. Why are you doing that?"

Scorpius frowned as he dropped his flirtatious act. But he was silent, still not sure what she meant.

Lily huffed with mild annoyance. "Scorpius, I am in a relationship, partly because you told me I should be with Eli and not you." She bit her lip and more quietly said. "You know how much I liked you."

_Shit._ Dread filled Scorpius' stomach as her words came crashing down around him. What was he doing? "I'm such a shit person," he miserably said. Was he only starting to like Lily because she used to like him? He'd told her that he wasn't good for her, and that was still true. "I'm sorry. I really don't mean to mess things up with you and Eli."

Lily gave him a sympathetic smile. It was hard to be mad at him. Tightly hugging him, she said, "You're not a shit person, Scorpius. But my feelings are still...delicate around you." She glanced up at him and sincerely added, "It's been difficult to get over you."

Butterflies replaced the dread in his stomach. This was such a weird, strange situation to be in; his mood swings were up and down, leaving him so confused. _Why am I feeling this way towards her? This can't be happening. _"I don't deserve someone like you. But ever since I saw you in the hospital, I can't help –"

"Please don't say it," Lily interrupted. It was not fair for him to start having feelings for her right after she got in a relationship. "I'm with Eli and I really like him."

"I want you to be with Eli!" Scorpius quickly said. And he meant it. If he were with Lily, it would mess everything up. But perhaps that was the most appealing part – she was like a forbidden fruit. _Fuck, why don't I know what I want?_

Finally, the song ended and Lily was relieved. She released her arms and stepped back. "Enjoy the rest of your night, Scorpius." Then Lily walked away towards Eli and in that moment, she felt extremely powerful. She had spoken her mind to Scorpius instead of giving in to her heart, which said to bask in his newfound infatuation with her. But it wasn't right for Scorpius to try to make her feelings come back for him. She could see that Scorpius was confused, but she wouldn't let herself start liking him, no matter how much she might want to. She was with Eli, and she was happy. Scorpius was complicated; Lily didn't need or want "complicated."

"I'm sorry about that," Lily told Eli. She gave him a long kiss on the lips to reassure him – and on some level herself – that he was the only guy she wanted.

Eli grinned, definitely feeling reassured. "It's okay, Lily. It was just a dance."

Lily smiled and held hands with her boyfriend before pouring herself a drink. After just experiencing a whirlwind of emotions, she was parched!

The rest of the dance went much more smoothly. At some point, Scorpius and Sue left the dance together, but Lily didn't notice. She was too busy having the time of her life with Eli and her friends.

* * *

><p><strong>So yeah, that was pretty angsty. Heh. Poor Scorpius is so confused! <strong>

**Let me know what you think by reviewing! Reviews are the only way that I know how you guys feel about this story.**


	13. Chapter 12

**I realize that this chapter is shorter than my usual chapters. I was going to include more at the end, but I have not written that section yet and it's already taken me too long to write this chapter. This was a hard one to write. I hope you still enjoy it though! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, favorited and alerted this story. **

**Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns all rights to Harry Potter. Lucky her!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 12<p>

In the early afternoon the following day, Lily made her way downstairs, still giddy from the dance. She'd had such an amazing night that nothing could ruin her good mood. Until, that is, she reached the commons and overheard two seventh-year girls' conversation.

"The rumors are true. Scorpius is amazing in bed!" Sue Lin indulged her friend.

The blonde loudly exclaimed in shock, "You slept with him?"

Sue beamed with pride and nodded. "He said I was the best girl he's ever been with."

Lily couldn't help herself. After getting over the initial shock and empty feeling settling in her stomach, the confusion and anger overcame her. Lily blurted, "It happened last night?"

Sue and her friend hadn't noticed Lily so they continued gossiping. Realizing this, Lily went over to Sue's side and repeated herself. "You had sex with Scorpius last night?"

Startled, Sue glanced over at Lily and scowled. "What's it to you, fourth year?"

Lily stared at her feet, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. "Sorry, I was curious," she muttered.

Deciding the Potter girl was harmless, Sue relaxed and gave a big smile. "It's true," she confirmed, clearly enjoying all of the attention.

Lily bit her lip to keep it from trembling. She felt like a hundred knives twisted and stabbed at her heart. "Oh, cool," she managed to say nonchalantly. Quickly exiting the commons and making her way to the Great Hall for lunch, Lily willed herself not to cry. _How could I have been so stupid? _Lily silently chided herself._ He must not like me very much if he goes off with a different girl. _The tears could no longer be contained. Lily hastily wiped her eyes and kept her head down so that no one passing by would notice. _Everyone was right. I've been wrong about Scorpius this whole time. I'm so stupid!_

(

Scorpius groggily woke up from the grumble in his stomach. Rolling over on his side, he spotted Albus doing what looked like homework in bed.

Hearing Scorpius shuffle, Albus looked up and grinned. "Hey sleepyhead. You realize it's after two, right?"

"So...hungry," Scorpius muttered in his pillow. How had he slept this long?

Al got up from his bed and went over to grab two napkins full of sandwiches and fruit that lied on his dresser. "Figured you might be so I grabbed these for you at lunch."

Scorpius instantly brightened. He shot up from his bed and grabbed the food. "Merlin, you're the best! Thanks!"

Albus' grin widened. "I know. I'm pretty much the best friend ever."

Scorpius enthusiastically nodded in agreement as he hungrily stuffed his face with the turkey and cheese sandwiches.

"I saw you leave with Sue Lin last night," said Albus as he closed his Charms book. He'd only been doing homework to pass the time while waiting for Scorpius to wake up. "Is that why you're so tired?"

The blond Slytherin groaned as that memory crossed his mind. "No, I parted ways with her not long after we left. She is way too aggressive for me." He remembered how Sue had whined about leading her on and not putting out. Merlin, she was a headache, and he hadn't even spent five minutes kissing her! Besides, he had felt extremely guilty about possibly betraying Lily, even though she had made it clear she wasn't interested in him anymore.

"I thought you liked aggressive girls," Albus said, cheekily grinning.

"I told you, I've turned over a new leaf," Scorpius said matter-of-factly. "Having sex with random girls just doesn't appeal to me anymore."

Albus gave his friend a meaningful look. "I think that's a good thing, Scorpius."

After finishing the last of his orange slice, Scorpius fell back onto his bed and let out a soft sigh. "I guess," he half-heartedly said. But to be honest, he felt very lonely.

For the rest of the afternoon, Albus and Scorpius powered through their homework that they had put off until now. The weather was too stormy to play a pick-up game of Quidditch so they played chess after finishing their homework.

Once 6:00 rolled around, the two Slytherins made their way to the Great Hall for dinner. Because it was Sunday, they sat at the Gryffindor table. Almost every Sunday dinner, the Potters and Weasleys brought their friends and everyone ate together; this caused the Gryffindor table to be very crowded, but no one minded much because it was such a lively time.

Albus and Scorpius sat across from James, Lily and Eli. As the Potter boys discussed Quidditch, Scorpius tried to strike a conversation with Lily and her boyfriend. "How was your first dance, Lils?"

Still quite angry with Scorpius, Lily pretended not to have heard him. She wished she didn't have to sit near him, but apparently the fates were not in her favor.

Moments of silence passed so Scorpius asked a little louder, "Did you have fun at the dance?"

Lily let out an audibly irritated sigh and focused all of her attention on Eli. "Could you please pass me the potatoes, Eli?"

Scorpius frowned. _I hope she's not mad at me for what I told her last night. _A dreadful feeling washed over him and he felt extremely awkward from this tension. Trying to relieve it, Scorpius turned to Eli and asked, "What about you, Eli?"

Before the Ravenclaw could answer, Lily grabbed Eli's hand and said, "It's too claustrophobic in here. Let's go finish dinner somewhere private."

Eli frowned, unsure of himself. "Er, is that allowed?"

"Yes, just grab your food," Lily impatiently demanded as she picked up a bowl of stir fry. Then she abruptly got up from the table and all but ran out of the Great Hall, with Eli quickly following behind.

Albus turned to Scorpius, noticing his sister's brisk escape. "What's wrong with her?"

Scorpius shrugged nonchalantly, but inside he felt very hurt and confused.

(

In the following couple of days, it was blatantly clear to Scorpius that Lily was ignoring him. Whenever their paths would cross, Lily would either glare at him or pretend he wasn't there. Scorpius had no idea why she was acting this way. Surely she couldn't be upset for his saying he liked her! Nonetheless, Scorpius sensed that somehow he had been a complete jerk but he had no idea what he did or said. It was the most frustrating thing in the world!

Finally, on a Wednesday after morning classes, Scorpius decided he would confront Lily about her abnormal behavior. After all, her birthday was on Friday and it would be extremely awkward if he showed up and she was still angry with him.

Scorpius spent over fifteen minutes searching for the petite Gryffindor before finding her sitting alone in the library. He walked up to her and asked, "Can we talk?"

Lily's head snapped up from her book. She frowned when she saw Scorpius. "What for?"

"I want to know why you've been ignoring me."

Lily let out a loud huff, but said, "Fine." She set her book down on the end table and began to walk out of the library. Scorpius fell in step with her. They were silent before reaching a deserted alcove near the entrance.

The pair stared at each other for a few moments until Scorpius could no longer take the silence and spoke first. "Why are you ignoring me?"

Lily sniffed and, without skipping a beat, nonchalantly answered, "I guess I don't see a point in being friends with liars."

A minute passed as Scorpius struggled to think what it was he had lied about. Giving up, he said, "I'm sorry Lily, but I have no idea why you're upset with me."

Lily was becoming increasingly frustrated that Scorpius kept playing dumb. Louder than she probably should have, Lily angrily exclaimed, "You slept with Sue Lin! Right after you said you liked me! Do you understand how awful that is?"

Scorpius' eyes widened in disbelief. _Who the hell said I slept with Sue? _He frantically thought. "Lily, I would never do anything to hurt you. And I sure as hell never slept with her."

Lily narrowed her eyes. "Don't deny it. She told me herself."

"She lied!" Scorpius desperately exclaimed. "I don't know why, but she did." The things he wanted to say to Sue about spreading that stupid rumor – he was trying very hard not to lose control because it was apparent that Lily still did not believe him. Taking in a deep breath, he more calmly explained, "We left the dance together, but nothing like that happened."

Lily was still silent, so Scorpius continued. "How long have you known me? You would believe Sue over me? She's an attention whore."

Lily bit her lip, unsure of who to believe. Sue did like the attention, she'd give him that. "But so many people say you have sex all the time," she meekly said. Lily had always been too afraid to ask Scorpius about his past with girls, but it came tumbling out today.

Scorpius' gaze fell to the floor and he frowned. "I have had sex with many girls, Lily. I am not very nice to women, either, I'll admit that. But I don't want to be that person anymore." He glanced up at Lily and cupped her cheek. "I really like you. I don't want to do anything to screw it up if I ever get a chance with you."

Lily's resolve began crumbling. She stared into Scorpius' stormy grey eyes. "Okay, I believe you."

Scorpius breathed a sigh of relief and a weight lifted from his shoulders. "Thank you. I promise I will show you that I can be worthy of you."

Lily glanced at the floor and her cheeks tinged pink from embarrassment. "You already are," she softly said.

Remembering that she still had a boyfriend, Scorpius moved away from Lily so that he wouldn't make her uncomfortable. An awkward silence hung in the hair until he poked her in the side and said, "You sure are scary when you're mad."

Lily chuckled. "And I'm definitely in no mood to be tickled."

Scorpius grinned again. He hoped that now things would return to normal between them. "So does this mean I'm invited to your birthday party?"

"Oh, I suppose so," said Lily. "As long as you get me the best birthday present ever."

"Don't worry, I've already got that covered!" Scorpius exclaimed. He'd gotten her a present at the last Hogsmeade trip, and he knew she would love it.

The pair animatedly chatted as they made their way to the Great Hall for the remainder of lunch. Eli was seen waiting just inside for her. Lily turned to Scorpius and gave him a quick hug, whispering in his ear, "Sorry I doubted you." Then she waved goodbye and headed to the Ravenclaw table with Eli.

Scorpius watched the couple walk away and failed to suppress the overwhelming jealousy that washed over him.

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review and tell me what you liked or disliked. The next chapter should be much longer. I have finals coming up so I'm not sure if I will update before May. We'll see.<strong>


End file.
